39 point 948
by Kieren
Summary: Paired up with agent Sabaku Gaara for an assignment, Hyuuga Hinata finds herself placing her full trust in him when he gets implicated, but she has to struggle with her emotions for him and the solo mission she has to embark on as well. GaaHina. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Characters featured** (by no order of ranking or whatsoever): Uzumaki Naruto, Sabaku no Gaara, Inuzuka Kiba, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi, Rock Lee, Nara Shikamaru, Namiashi Raidou, Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hiashi, Shiranui Genma, Kankurou, Deidara, Tobi, Yuuhi Kurenai, Tsunade, Shizune, Hyuuga Hinata, Temari, Yamanaka Ino, Tenten and Mitarashi Anko.

**Summary:** AU. A lethal and smooth car, a handsome redhead and an innocently easy assignment becomes too much to handle for Hyuuga Hinata. Paired up with agent Sabaku Gaara for the assignment, the Hyuuga finds herself placing her full trust in him when he gets implicated, but she has to struggle with her emotions for him and the solo mission she has to embark on later as well. GaaHina.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor all of its characters.

* * *

_39.948_

* * *

**1.**

A flurry of black and red crossed Hyuuga Hinata's line of vision as she steadily held the tray in front of her, the beer bottles perfectly still. Excellent. She took a deep breath, running her hand over the short black skirt that barely reached her knees, and hoped that the white vee of her t-shirt wasn't _too_ low.

She'd been on this many times before. She could do it. The undercover Argon member rearranged her features carefully as she walked out from behind the counter, and headed for table 49. Placing the two beer bottles on the table, she noticed a dark haired man's lascivious eyes following her chest, and fought down an urge to place her hand on her chest.

"Are you new here?" His companion asked, a man in his early thirties with dirty red-brown hair that was slicked back.

Ishikawa Izumo. The notorious drug lord Argon had been dying to get their hands on. Which, literally, was her target.

_Seduce him and get him to offer her a drugged drink._

"Yes sir," Hinata smiled at him coyly. His hand had wandered closer to her thigh, not yet touching but almost reaching. Her heart clenched, partly out of victory that he had noticed her, and partly out of disgust and fear.

"I see," He drawled, a slight slur evident. The Hyuuga felt the trace of his finger on her thigh now, caressing it. Dark haired laughed and winked at her. "Its not often waitresses catch Izumo's eye."

"Oh," Hinata said, trying to make her voice light.

_Close contact is inevitable. Just bear with it._ Yuuhi Kurenai's voice echoed in her mind, and Hinata calmed herself.

"Shinju! Table 19!"

"Well there's someone waiting to be served, Izumo-san," She said politely, responding to her fake name.

"See ya, beautiful,"

Hinata smiled at them and moved away quickly.

She slid another tray into her hands, this time holding a can of coke and nothing else. Table 19 was in the far left corner, beside the window. Hinata's white eyes landed on table 19, and she almost stopped breathing, her cheeks flushing. A good looking redhead was seated there, one hand toying with his cell phone while he watched her, his jade eyes skimming down her entire length. His hair was purely red, unlike Izumo's, its crimson so vivid and unlike anything she had ever seen. It was tousled thoroughly too, some of it falling into his eyes which he brushed it away impatiently. He was wearing a white shirt, untucked, its sleeves pushed up his arms and dark pants. The way he leaned forward betrayed what the white material hid - a muscled torso. A crimson tattoo graced the left corner on his forehead. Love, its kanji expressed.

She finally reached his place, surprised to see no pretty blonde hanging on his arm. She smiled one of the same smiles she had given Izumo, and he watched her coolly as she set down the coke.

"Anything _else_ for you sir?"

"No." He said as his cell phone fell down with a thunk, pulling the coke toward him, green eyes finally leaving her.

Well. This sexily disheveled man was the only man in the pub to keep his hands to himself.

_Concentrate._

Aha. Izumo was signalling her.

"Steady, Hinata." Nara Shikamaru's voice came clearly through the earpiece hidden in her earring, and the brunette knew that she had a whole team of Argon members watching her back. The talented Nara was the one heading this operation, and Hinata had no qualms in trusting her colleague with her life.

Hinata cleared her throat, which meant that she okayed.

_Time to get the fish hooked to the bait._

* * *

Sabaku Gaara watched the way the less than conservative black skirt moved up a fraction when Hyuuga Hinata walked away after her offer, admitting that she was quite good. He'd been briefed on her - this was her fifth time as 'bait' for men, illustrating that she was not very seasoned. But the way she had flirted with Ishikawa seemed appropriate, and the man had fallen for it.

Maybe because it was the way she filled out the lycra white v-necked shirt and the mini skirt. It rivalled the actual waitresses in the pub, and the redhead could spot many men who would have loved to bed her.

He watched, drinking his coke as she was pulled onto Izumo's lap, his hand already disappearing under the skirt.

"Gaara." Uzumaki Naruto's voice came through his own earpiece. He cleared his throat. "Have you identified the target?"

The redhead grunted, and the blond told him to keep his eye on her.

"We don't want her, you know, _raped_."

"Hm."

He casually looked away when Izumo nuzzled her neck, disgust erupting in his mind. The drug lord reached for a glass and offered it to her.

Gaara glanced at his mobile and slid it towards him, its head facing Izumo. Pressing a few buttons, the screen revealed human shapes defined from green lines, red lines for tables, chairs, drinks, and other inanimate ojects.

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate, the screen read as the outline of the glass in the Hinata- figure hands blinked sharply.

"GHB huh?" Shikamaru muttered.

Hinata was going to place the rim of the cup to her lips.

"Get ready everyone." Shikamaru said quietly.

Gaara stood up, walking forwards, almost reaching Izumo.

"Now."

There were several gunshots, and Gaara had a gut feeling that it didn't come from any Argon members. Screams erupted as chaos reigned, and people stared wide eyed around them. Uchiha Sasuke sprinted across the redhead as Izumo threw Hinata off his lap and into Gaara's arms, away to his right. Yamanaka Ino and Inuzuka Kiba followed suit, Akamaru ahead of them. Hinata's supple body crashed into his, and the redhead grabbed her round the arm as her chest brushed his.

"Hyuuga. Argon." He said sharply, ignoring the movements and she nodded at once. "Follow me."

He kept his gun ready at his side, eyes darting around wildly.

One, two, in the pub, three disappearing bodyguards.

Gaara shoved his way out, ducking swiftly as he heard more gunshots towards where Izumo had went. He sensed Hinata following behind him, and a backwards glance told him she had her own gun too.

Reaching up, he twisted his wrist sideways, and aimed a shot at the bodyguard who had caught sight of Hinata and pulled the brunette down and away. By now, most of the customers had fled, and there were no one but the two goons of Izumo.

His bullet embeded itself in the wall behind the man. He missed. The duo were nearing the bar top and he ducked behind it, realising that Hinata's legs were just beside him. She fired and then moved backwards, tripping over his thigh. Glass shattered in front of them as more gunshots were heard. Hinata gasped and groped wildly as she fell onto the redhead's lap, fisting his white shirt as she plopped gracefully onto his legs, her chest pressed to his torso.

Damn, she felt good.

Her skirt had ridden up, allowing him a tantalising view of her legs and thighs.

"Is that a stun gun?" He asked, as though they were at a garden discussing weather.

"Yes," She answered, blushing furiously as she moved away.

"Exchange." He switched guns with her and stood up, firing the bodyguards quickly. This time, he'd hit bullseye.

Shikamaru was giving orders, and there were plenty of thunks and crashes from various of his team members' earphones. Hinata stood up shakily, and Gaara saw that she was wearing black heels. A marvel for her to move about in those.

He nudged the guns out of the hands of the fallen bodyguards.

"We're done in the pub."

"Okay. Stay there." Shikamaru ordered, his voice a little overrided by Kiba's grunt and Sasuke's gunshot.

"Roger."

He turned to Hinata who was watching him. She averted her eyes and blushed. Hell, she was a lot more different from the Hinata who'd shot him that sultry smile earlier.

"You are.." She trailed.

"Sabaku Gaara."

"Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

To a stranger, it would seem odd for both to exchange pleasantries among two bodies, shattered glass and upturned tables and chairs.

"Well. Thanks."

Her gaze landed on his foot, and he thought she looked mighty alluring now that she was clad in the uniform of a bar girl with a shy schoolgirl's demeanor.

Some teasing wouldn't hurt.

He advanced toward her, one hand pulling her by the waist so that she bumped clumsily into his chest again. "You weren't so shy just now," Gaara murmured, lowering his head so that he could brush his lips over her ear.

Well she didn't think he was actually one of Argon's! Sure, Shikamaru had informed her there would be a member keeping an eye on her, but she hadn't recognise him. And she had been told to fit into the role of a bar girl, and weren't bar girls supoosed to flirt? Actually, she hadn't done alot of flirting. Hinata blushed.

"I -" She stumbled. "Th-that was m-my..."

"I almost didn't recognise you as an Argon agent," He ran his lips pass her jaw.

"R-really," She breathed.

One kiss wouldn't hurt. And besides, she was too tempting.

He covered her mouth with his own, and her hand instinctively came up to his shoulder as she tried to kiss him back. She moaned into his mouth and Gaara angled his head so that he could deepen the kiss. Hinata threaded her fingers through his hair, and the brunette realised it was thicker and longer than-

"Hinata, Gaara," Naruto came on.

_Naruto!_

The Hyuuga pulled back so sharply, she almost stumbled but caught herself against one of the tables. She was madly in love with the blonde. She couldn't very well kiss Gaara and harbor feelings for her fellow colleague. That would be so...so..._unfaithful_.

"Sorry," She gasped to Gaara. "Naruto?"

"Yeah, we caught Izumo. He's being stunned down _there_. I got some police down to pick up the bodies soon. See ya at HQ Hinata-chan! Bring Gaara too!" There was a crackle and it went quiet again.

The latter was gazing at her with his brilliant forest green eyes, his hair as tousled as ever. Well duh, she had been the one running her hands through it just now.

"I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean to- to- to-"

"You are married."

"N-no,"

"A boyfriend."

"N-no."

He raised an eyebrow.

"N-nothing." She mumbled. "We've got to head to HQ." Snow white eyes darted to the two bodyguards on the floor. "The police will get them."

Gaara nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Thanks. :D


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you for waiting! To clear things up - 39.948 is the atomic weight of the gaseous element Argon, which I guess pretty much explains the title. Miss Hydrangea, I hope you are satisfied! Grins. I thought the element Argon sounded cool, so I decided to use it.

June-Avatar11 said that Gaara has excellent self control, which I agree. In this fanfic, I kinda tweaked Gaara's character a little_,_ for a more different and liberal Gaara to suit the story. (I hoped I didn't alter his personality too much.)

Thanks to those who reviewed! Enjoy. :D

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

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**2.**

Hinata grabbed the redhead's handphone on the table as several officers in uniform jumped out of the police car. Gaara nodded to them. A crowd of people stood, staring and pointing at the shattered windows and the mess that the pub was. She got into the passenger seat beside Gaara as he started the engine. Strapping her seat belt, Hinata tried to pull her skirt a little longer, and stopped when the redhead darted a glance at it.

She flushed, folding her hands over her lap.

As Gaara pulled out of the parking lot, an awkward silence fell over them. Hinata twiddled her fingers and glanced out of the window at passing streets, buildings and shops, wondering what to say. She thought about asking him if he was new, but she remembered the easy way he had handled the stun gun and shut her mouth.

_Dumb question._

The seconds ticked by, and still, she remained silent. The redhead didn't seem to feel a need to talk, but it was second nature for her to make small talk, even if she was really really shy.

_Ask him why he kissed you._

Well there was no way was she going to ask him that. It was too embarrassi- Her phone rang and vibrated in her pocket, which prompted her to squeak and then dig around for it.

"Hello?"

"Hinata," Kiba said on the other end, sounding a tad worried. "Are you arriving at HQ soon?"

Thank god for the Inuzuka.

"Yes." The Hyuuga said as the car made a turn into the underground carpark of a white building. "We're at the carpark."

"Good. See you then."

"Okay. Bye."

* * *

"...and in which GHB was found by Gaara." Shikamaru droned, hands in his pocket, with an air of someone who did this far too many times. Tsunade nodded at him, her hazel eyes thoughtful.

The doors to the head of Argon's office opened, and Gaara walked through it, followed by Hinata. The brunette was unhooking her earrings from her ears. The Nara offered her a tired grin and held open a box, which Hinata obediently dropped the earrings in.

"Yo!" Naruto greeted from the corner, next to a passive looking Sasuke. Both were relatively unhurt, except for Kiba and Ino. The former had a bandage around his upper arm and the latter sported a plaster on her cheek.

Hinata took one look at Naruto and blushed.

"Right. We got the whole team here." Tsunade said, scratching her ear. "Everyone's safe and sound, including our druggie. Well done guys. Have a good sleep. Shoo!"

"That's all?" Naruto blurted out, incredulous.

"You guys are a drag." Tsunade said. "I got your team report and everyone has their asses covered. So you guys get your rest! Right, Shikamaru?"

The Nara nodded lethargically. "Right on."

"What are you waiting for? Get out."

The blond started to hum 'All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth' and turned to the computer while she flipped through a file.

The others filed out, but the humming stopped suddenly.

"Oh wait, Gaara? I need you for a sec."

The redhead turned, and Naruto slapped his back. "Catch ya later."

He nodded and stepped back inside as the doors swung shut behind Sasuke. Tsunade had her chin proppped on her inertwined fingers, and her eyes looked serious.

"I nearly forgot." She said, glancing down at a thin file. "A new assignment for the weekend. I know you just completed one."

"I have no qualms," He said, watching the buxomy blond, head tilted.

"As usual." Tsunade's scarlet lips quirked into a smile. "Anyway-"

The blonde's phone rang suddenly, and she jerked up in her seat to grab it. "Sorry," Tsunade sent an apologetic glance toward the redhead.

"Hello?...Ah, Temari!"

Green eyes darted towards Tsunade, although Gaara wasn't very surprised to hear his sister on the other end with Tsunade. Perhaps one of Suna's luxurious car brands, Sabakus' Kaze Automobile had made its presence known among Konoha's best, including the Uchihas' Sharingan breed of sleek cars. Sharingan and Kaze were the main car suppliers for Argon as well, and had both Sabaku and Uchiha working with Tsunade closely to improve on the organisation's needs. Needless to say, Temari was the one who had meticulously laid the foundations for the beginning of very Kaze, with Kankurou and Gaara backing her up with brains and money respectively.

"And so I heard." Tsunade continued. "So when am I going to see Kankurou's automobile creation?" There was a pause. "Hm. Saturday. Alright. By the way, I need your younger brother to flaunt the car. Literally."

Gaara stared at her, eyes narrowed.

A chuckle followed from the head. "Yeah well. I have an assignment for him....That's right. Uh huh..see you then at 12."

"What?" The redhead asked, crossing his arms.

"You just had a sneak peek of your latest assignment. Kusugi Masato. Rings a bell?"

"Car company CEO of Kusugi?"

"Correct - as well as owner of Kusugi Agency for models. The police suspect he's using the agency for other purposes. Like making 14-18 year olds sell themselves." Tsunade crossed her legs. "There are reports floating around saying he's using his agency as a front. We sent some agents working undercover, but apparently, nothing happened while they were there. To make it worse, the real models are tight lipped about it. The file's got some pictures of him and his agency. Take a look." She passed the file to him and Gaara flipped through it silently.

There was full length shot of Masato, apparently taken when he was not noticing. He had dark brown hair, clear green eyes, and was slightly stocky. The second photo showed a white building - Kusugi Agency in black across it at the top.

"I want you to uncover his crime and then the police can press charges against him." She rubbed her nose. "This was originally scheduled for another agent, but he broke several ribs," Tsunade sighed. "I strongly suggest you take on the role of a philanderer, and that's where your sister's latest edition to Argon's automobiles come in. If I were you, I'd _enjoy_ this assignment tremendously." Tsunade smirked, twirling her pen about. "Masato is also launching his new sports car for Kusugi at the Konoha Showroom this Monday, and you'll be with Temari at the launch. Shake hands, exchange namecards with Masato, establish your image as a fickle man, blah blah, and bang- that's where you'll request for models and you'll tell him Kaze Automobiles needs some skin at their showroom next month and whatever. I doubt he'd resist his urge to offer you a model- or two. Be very careful and do not, I repeat, do not let him get suspicious of your actions. I want him caught."

* * *

Back at home, Hinata peered into her cousin's empty room and rubbed her neck. Probably out with Tenten.

She was beat from the undercover work, but the shower she had just taken had been utterly refreshing. Yawning, Hinata entered her room and rested her head against the pillows, one arm around a bolster as she thought about the agent she had met earlier. Gaara, was it?

Did he usually go around kissing women? And what did he meant?

She'd been robbed entirely of her first kiss by some other agent she didn't know very well, and the chance of seeing him again was low.

What an...... incorrigible guy. Well at least she knew his name. And Naruto seemed to know him pretty well too. The blonde was waiting for him when he came out of Tsunade's office. She smiled at the image of Naruto. Sweet, goofy and cute.

And in love with Haruno Sakura.

Hinata sighed. Which guy wouldn't want a beautiful, intelligent and witty woman as his girlfriend? Hinata'd known the pink haired woman for a long time, and she'd consider her a good friend who knew her personally.

She knew where she stood.

_That's your problem. You're too afraid of telling him or making yourself clear. You can't blame him. _

_But what's wrong with kissing another man?_

_See, when you kiss, you must know the guy well enough. And then you'll know what you're kissing him for._

_But I still kissed him anyway._

_Cos' he's hot. _

_That's so materialistic. Good lot of help it does. He's probably flirting with another woman right now._

"Shut up," She told herself firmly and shut her eyes.

* * *

Thanks. :D


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Most of the stuff about the new car came from somewhere called imagination, so yeah. But for an agent's mobile, I must say the car doesn't seem to sound so great. Heh. Oh well.

Thanks for all your reviews! Grins.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto and all of its characters. :(

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**3.**

"Masato!"

A man with grayish dark hair walked towards Kusugi Masato as the sliding doors to the arrival hall slid smoothly apart, his arms outstretched. He smiled charmingly, black sunglasses on his nose glinting under the bright lights of KonohaInternational Airport. Two bodyguards trailed behind him, pulling his luggages. Masato lifted a hand and returned the smile, green eyes crinkled. "Toshihiko-san. How was your flight?"

"No need to be so formal, Masato," Toshihiko Nobuo said as he exchanged a handshake. "Not when you've been supplying such _wonderful _girls to me,"

The two men shared a laugh, and Masato directed him towards a shiny white limousine.

"But the flight was excellent. Ah, I see Kusugi has been doing well," Nobuo gazed at the long vehicle.

"Well, but of course," Masato laughed as his bodyguards opened the car door and gestured for him to get in. "When one knows what the people out there want, we make what they want."

"Naturally, naturally," Nobuo chuckled. "I look forward to your showroom then, Masato,"

"Thank you,"

The bodyguards got in the back and the vehicle started to move.

"So," Nobuo said, leaning forwards conspiratorially. "When are you introducing more of your girls?"

Masato laughed. "I have the police after my back, Nobuo. I knew that there were spies when I recruited several girls for my agency last month. They quit, and I was fortunate to have some of my seasoned models warning me when they were present."

"Close shave," The businessman remarked.

"But I still escaped."

Nobuo laughed again.

"Well what about you?" Masato asked. "Your wife doesn't suspect anything?"

"My dear friend," The dark haired man began. "That's a piece of cake! Throw out some excuses, buy her anything she wants and off she goes to cloud nine. Simple as that."

Both men laughed as the limousine slid into the business district of Konoha, their bodyguards sitting silently behind them, but Masato and Nobuo knew their conversation was not going to pass the four walls of the car.

* * *

Sometimes, Tsunade tended to overlook certain, well, _details_, so it wasn't unlikely that the tall redhead would get certain surprises when he opened the door in the morning.

But he hadn't expected Hyuuga Hinata to be standing on the other side.

Looking at her, he would remember the way she kissed him back yesterday night and was thoroughly displeased when he saw that she was wearing a pair of jeans and a simple white top. The outfit was basically normal, conservative and boring. Where had the mini skirt and lycra top went?

_You forgot. That was just Hinata being undercover._

Right. Too bad for him.

"Morning," He said, watching her with his jade eyes.

"G-good morning,"

There was silence and Gaara wondered if Hyuuga was seriously okay, because if she thought that yesterday's kiss had meant something, then well, the woman was wrong.

At the instance, his cell phone vibrated and he flipped it open. Tsunade.

_I forgot to tell you you'd need a woman with you. So here she is. Oh by the way, I need both of you to head down to the Kaze Warehouse at 12. Sharp._

Oh, so the lady was his new partner. Interesting. He glanced back up at her and stepped back.

"Come in,"

She entered and stood awkwardly at the edge of his living room. "I, uh, I've been briefed on the assignment." She tripped out.

"Good." The redhead moved to the kitchen, dropping it on the table. "We need to go to a warehouse later."

"Oh yes," She said. "For your car,"

"Not exactly," Gaara said as he unscrewed the cap of a carton of milk and drank straight from it. Hinata watched, transfixed. "Do you want...a- a glass?"

"I save time like this," The redhead smirked at her as he screwed the cap back. Hinata blushed. "M-maybe I should try it too."

"Sure. Take a seat. I'm going to have a shower."

"Oh. Okay." Hinata glanced around and sat herself on one of his sofas as he disappeared into a room. Hinata looked around. The apartment was fairly messy, although it gave her a slight impression that Gaara didn't often grace it with his presence, and it was only occasionally that he came home to it.

Well. Here she was, ogling at Gaara's apartment when she had reckoned last night that she would be unlikely to meet him again. This was going to be awkward and tough, working with a new agent who had just kissed her breathless yesterday and she'd made an absolute mistake by wrenching herself away when someone she really liked interrupted them.

That didn't make sense. Absolute mistake?

_You're going bonkers. Great._ Hinata thought miserably. When Tsunade had called her early that morning, she had the slightest hope that she was going to be teamed up with Naruto. But no, the Nara Shikamaru-and-Aburame Shino-altered cell phones Argon supplied had transmitted the name Gaara so clearly, it was as though Tsunade had bellowed it into her ear.

Oh well. The Hyuuga glanced at the room had entered and faintly heard water hitting floor tiles. Hinata got up and started to rearrange the magazines on the coffee table and stacked them neatly in a corner. She placed the three cushions in a neat row on the sofa and then sat down again.

Gaara's cell phone started to ring persistently on the dining table. Startled, the Hyuuga went to it, and wondered if she should answer it. The LCD screen read Temari. In the end, she took a deep breath and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Ga-wait, _hello_?"

"Uh, Gaara's in the shower." Hinata said slowly. The female at other end seemed slightly startled.

"Oh! I see. Well, tell him that he needs to be at the Kaze warehouse _by_ 12. Not at 12."

"Okay."

"Thank you."

The call ended just as Hinata heard the water stop and she hurriedly placed the phone down. There were foot steps and Gaara appeared, crimson hair wet and tousled.

"You missed a call," Hinata said, fighting a blush. "From Temari."

"Oh." Jade eyes relaxed as he slipped his hand into the pocket of his jeans. "What did she say?"

"She said you- we needed to be at Kaze Warehouse by 12, not at 12,"

"Shoot," Gaara muttered. Trust Temari to get excited over a car and change the timing. "Well we'd better leave then."

* * *

"Kankurou, a _woman_ answered Gaara's cell phone," Temari said, grabbing her brother by his shirt as he walked past, brown eyes latched onto a battered 2 seater black car which stood pathetically in the middle of the grimy warehouse. It looked forlorn and small, but Kankurou was examining it so carefully, you would have thought it was a car made out of diamond. Several men in overalls were checking the tyres, shouting to one another.

"_What_?" Kankurou stared at her.

"And she said he was in the _freaking shower_."

"A shower." Kankurou's pupils dilated. "Holy shit. Wait, what did she sound like?"

"Er...really soft. You know, like those sweet young things."

"He brought a _sweet_ woman home." Temari's younger brother said, grinning. "That's a start."

"Temari!"

The blonde turned and grinned when she saw Tsunade walking towards her. Tsunade however, stopped and stared warily at the car after her eyes landed on it.

"Its a beauty huh?" Kankurou grinned. "I could tell it from the look on your face."

"_What on earth_, Kankurou?" Tsunade asked, coming closer. "I thought you would give me something more-"

"I'll explain when our last audience arrives. Aha! Gaara!"

The dark haired man waved to his younger brother, a woman with shoulder length black hair trailing behind. The redhead approached them. "Tsunade." He acknowledged.

Kankurou nudged Temari. "Ooh, look at that. He brought a girl."

"Wait," Temari said, looking carefully. "That's another agent. His partner. Hyuuga Hinata."

Tsunade smiled. "Hinata. Gaara." Pointing to the vehicle, she grinned at Gaara sarcastically. "That's yours to flaunt."

Th redhead stared at the vehicle, his reaction mostly directed at Temari.

"So that's the awesome car you wanted to show us."

"Bro," Kankurou interrupted, brown eyes gleaming. "But you haven't really _seen_ the new Kaze G5 yet. After all, how can you judge a book by its cover?" He grinned slyly and pressed a button on the car key he held. For a moment, Hinata thought the car looked as if something invisible was peeling off its old exterior, for a gleaming inky black surface appeared as the dull surface receded, disappearing altogether in the end. Hinata blinked and stared.

It was a car standing there alright, but it didn't looked like any car you would see on a road. It was particularly short, rounded at the edges, its windows joining the metal as though there wasn't a definite line which separated it. The windscreen was joined to the car's bonnet smoothly, sloping downwards gracefully. Its fender was round and curved, the headlights so near the windcreen that they were joined, giving the car a sleek and futuristic look. Over at the top, thick glass replaced the dark metal of the car for the most part, flowing down at both sides to make up the car's windows and it continued down towards the rear, where it met metal again. To put it bluntly, half of the car's back was made up of glass.

Bracing an arm against Gaara's shoulder, Temari grinned at him. "I know you like it. Just say it."

Grudgingly, the redhead had to admit the car looked very _very_ good. He could practically see his reflection on the glossy black scheme.

"_I _definitely like it." Tsunade said, staring at it, transfixed. She whistled an did a 360 round the automobile. "Oh my god. Its something I've never seen before. Can it go topless?"

"Duh," Kankurou said. "Enough gawking people? I'm moving on to how we just witnessed a makeover for this beauty. What you saw previously was an image projected over the car. Because of its similar body shape as the old car we saw, we see it _transforming_. Well this beauty's a BEV. Instead of using internal combustion engines, we made the-"

"Stop." Gaara interrupted Kankurou. "I don't understand the garbage you spat out. The car sounds as though its got some disease."

Hinata bit back a chuckle.

"Fine," Kankurou grumbled. "As I said, this vehicle's a battery electric vehicle, so BEV. Which means, it runs on electricity and batteries. Unlike normal cars which use ICE- an engine used in cars which run on petrol and diesel, whatever, this beauty of mine is able to reduce urban pollution. If you want speed, then this car's for you too." Kankurou fished out the car keys and the headlights blinked. "The doors open _up_ - literally."

He strode forwards and place his four fingers under the car handle and pulled. There was a squeak and the door moved up.

"FYI, the door takes 3 seconds to open,"

"That's just the tip of the iceberg," Kankurou warned. "See the windows, windscreen and the rear? Fire as many times as you want, and it'll sustain for 2 hours instead of the usual 1/2 hour before it eventually shatters. Same goes for its body. Its equipped with all the basic neccessities every Argon agent should desire in the vehicle, eg. GPS, light arms, like all the others we provided. The other thing is that this smart baby's steering wheel is unlike the normal circle you hold in your hands when you drive. Its a U shape now, and I assure, you it works as fine as the normal steering wheel."

Sure enough, the steering wheel seemed to be replaced by what seemed like a game console, except that it was much larger and ordinary, without any buttons.

Kankurou slid into the seat. "Next, it can blend into the background easily if you activate its camouflage button. I wouldn't say it has become invisible though. Complicated stuff that you won't want me to explain _why_." He darted a glance at Tsunade as the car disappeared, replaced by what the ground and background of the warehouse would look like if the car had not been there. It appeared again, and Kankurou got out, satisfied. "This car's tough too. Remember when Naruto's Kaze got smashed repeatedly and it crumpled like tin foil?"

Hinata nodded. Now, she wouldn't forget _that_.

"Yeah, well." Kankurou scractched his head. "We got that out. When anything smashes or lands on the car without exceeding 600kg, the car will dent as little as possible, but it will still protect the driver and passenger."

"More than 600kg and it will crumple." Temari offered.

"How many rams does it take before it fully crumples if something without exceeding 600kg crashes into it?" Gaara asked, knocking the side of the car with his knuckle.

"5 to 10 rams. We're working on that." He nodded.

_Wow_. Hinata stared at the vehicle. This car definitely packed a punch, and she knew Naruto would love it. With Sharingan and Kaze going head to head with the various creative inventions they stored in their smart cars, they'd surely end up with the same thing one day.

Gaara probed on something and Kankurou answered, although Hinata had a slight inkling that they were talking about the engine and petrol.

"Do you want a test drive?" Temari asked, teal eyes shining.

"Why not?" Kankurou threw him the keys and the car's headlights blinked. Hinata watched in awe as the redhead and his brother got in, slammed the doors shut and started the engine.

There was a satisfying low purr, and it seem to fit the current driver to a T. It was as though it had been made for Gaara.

"Look at _that_," Tsunade chuckled. "Its coming to life. Temari, how many Kaze G5s do you have?"

"Currently 5." Temari replied. "Well Argon placed orders for two, so they're yours."

Tsunade nodded. There was a louder drone and and the car went off, the men in overalls watching eagerly. Gaara did a few runs around the expansive warehouse, sometimes going slow, then fast. There was a breathtaking instance where the redhead appeared to be going full speed ahead for the opposite wall and then turned the mobile sharply around at the last minute, the four wheels of the car obeying without protest.

The G5 stopped before the three women elegantly, and Gaara pressed several buttons in the dashboard, his eyes on the windscreen, although he seemed to be looking at something else rather than the actual windscreen. Kankurou was gesturing and talking to him at the same time. The redhead finally got out after a while, and shut the door before passing the keys to Kankurou.

"Real obedient huh?" Temari asked.

"Very sensitive and fast. Smooth too." Gaara said, jade eyes roving the car.

"That means 'its fantastic'." Temari whispered to Hinata, and they both laughed.

* * *

Thanks. :D


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Do tell me if there's anything weird with the story. Thanks for your reviews, people!

**Disclaimer**: Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**4.**

"Gaara," Tsunade strode forward as the Kaze G5 was being checked over once again by the workers. "You'll be following Temari back to Kaze Automobile, won't you?"

"Yes," He answered, jade eyes on his sister, who nodded.

"Hinata has info regarding Kusugi's schedule after work. She'll tell you more about it soon." The head said pointedly at Gaara. "You know what to do then."

The redhead nodded passively.

"Alright." Tsunade fished out a bunch of keys. "_You_'ll need this later." She dropped it in Gaara's palm, away from her own car keys. The redhead examined it.

"Bye!" Kankurou waved from the car as Tsunade disappeared out of the warehouse.

Remembering what Tsunade had said, Gaara dropped the keys into his pocket and turned to find Hinata standing there, pulling a file out of her document bag as Temari started to talk and gesture to a stocky man about the car.

"I have Kusugi's entire schedule typed out here. Its his usual cycle of activities, and roughly the timing. They may not be that accurate." Hinata said as she passed it to him. He stepped closer to her and took the file. Apparently, Kusugi left his office at quarter to seven or seven, and usually went to the _Ariadne _with several business clients (if he had some) for meals. Meetings or visits to showrooms, the agency, the main workshop for Kusugi all fell in above 6 to 7.

"You could pay a visit," Hinata offered, pointing to the venue. "It is quite likely that he will be going there, because Toshihiko Nobuo has just arrived this morning at the airport according to an agent posted there, Hagane Kotetsu. Toshihiko is a business associate of Kusugi."

Gaara nodded.

"Listen. I'll be going off with Temari later. I have a microchip cam embedded inside my second button on the shirt. I want you to go back to my apartment, switch on the laptop you see in my room, type 3X4589 and then open up the microchip software. Password is 8W503. Contact with me through the cell."

Hinata nodded, taking in a deep breath.

"3X4589 then 8W503."

"Yes."

* * *

Hinata got back to the redhead's apartment and stepped cautiously into his bedroom, where a desk sat on her right. There was a gray laptop there and she opened it, powering it up. The Hyuuga sat herself in the desk chair.

"3X46-Whoops. 3X4589."

Hinata pressed Enter and to her relief, she was granted access. She loaded up the software quickly and typed in the second password. A few seconds later, a screen popped up and she could imagine herself as the button, staring at Kankurou and Temari, the former texting furiously on his cell phone while the other had a crease in her forehead as she cradled a receiver between her shoulder and cheek. The view constantly moved slightly, and she found herself looking down at the file she had left with Gaara earlier.

Picking up her own phone, Hinata sent a message to the redhead to tell him that she had succeeded and he replied with an Okay. _If you need to go to the gents,_ She had included,_ just cover the button._ Fortunately, she needn't to tell him straight to the face or she'd probably have _died_ before she could get the entire sentence out of her mouth.

All through out the day, Hinata watched as he flirted with a pretty blonde called Asuka, who appeared to be the marketing manager's secretary and some other females. The Hyuuga blushed. Gaara was good. No doubt if he did to her exactly what he did to all the women, she'd be left oozing on the floor.

_Occupational hazards_, She quirked. _Being a voyeur._

There were certain times she left the room - mainly to the toilet or for a drink, but most of the time was spent staring at the computer screen. The other thing that she noticed was that when one set Gaara to work behind a computer, he really did work. Efficiently, in a _I'm going to get this done, however you want to stop me_ way. She was impressed.

Then perhaps for the third time, as Hinata got up to head off to the bathroom, her right toe smashed into a carton leaning against the wall and it wobbled before dropping sideways, its contents spilling out. A photo fluttered to the floor. She picked it up and turned it sideways. A beautiful woman with long red hair smiled up at her, and Hinata thought her very familiar. She had seen those cheekbones...the nose...Could it be Gaara's mother? She stared hard. It was. She could see little bits and pieces of Gaara in her, although he had a different shade of eye colour from his mother. She was very very pretty, and Hinata had never laid eyes on someone so elegant before. Glancing down, she realised that other photos were scattered on the floor. She squatted and picked up more photos. One seemed to be a 16-17 year old Gaara, a reluctant smile on his lips as a very familiar blond grinned cheekily at her, one arm around the redhead. Naruto.

_I bet he had lots of girlfriends when he was in high school, _She thought. He looked very good with his tousled hair and loose tie. Naruto was still the same, although his blond hair seemed longer, the sparkle in his blue eyes present. The other photos were of a very short Gaara, his red locks untidy, a hand griping a grudgy fat bear by its neck.

The Hyuuga smiled as she collected them neatly in a pile and slipped it back inside the box. There were a couple of other materials in there, but she shut it firmly.

* * *

Gaara pulled up beside the pavement, his jade eyes looking past the car window. Two women clad in robes that were entirely made out of white marble flanked the entrance, their arms over their heads. A pair of glass doors covered the entrance while some men slipped in.

"The _Ariadne_." A pretty brunette beside him cooed. "Oh my, Gaara, that's a very fanciful place."

Kiku was a model he had picked up when Temari had brought him to the photoshoot for a Kaze sport compact, much to the chagrin of Asuka. The dark haired model was wearing a short green dress with a plunging neckline which he reckoned that if agent Hyuuga had on, she would fill it so much better.

Besides that, Temari and Kankurou's G5 were earning much gawks from passerbys and drivers in the streets. A teenager who seemed like a direct facsimile of Naruto remarked that it was the 'coolest car he'd ever seen'.

"Glad you like it," He smirked to Kiku as he got out. He opened the car door and helped her out, who clutched Gaara's right arm.

The redhead passed his keys to the valet, who stared at his vehicle, the automobile itself reflected in his pupils. "That is a very nice car you have, sir."

"Thank you," He said. "Take care of it."

A waiter pulled the door opened and Gaara entered. For Kusugi to dine here with his clients and associates, he had to be rich.

"For two?" The waiter asked, leading them.

"Yes," Kiku answered.

He brought them to a secluded corner where a few couples sat and they seated themselves. Gaara's green eyes, however, didn't caught sight of any Kusugi Masato. He smoothed his dress shirt casually, knowing that Hinata would want a good view. The waiter came then and poured them water before they ordered food and he whisked away, leaving the two alone.

"Gaara," Kiku said gushed. "I just love that car of yours. Did your brother designed it?"

Actually, Kankurou had designed the interior functions, checked with the engine and motors to make sure that the car delivered its full performance. He had always like meddling with mechanics, and once said that the car was a puppet he could manipulate - by installing engines and motors the way he would want his 'babies' to run and drive.

"Sort of," He said casually, leaning back. There was no reason to be tense, even if Kusugi did appear. Meanwhile though, he might as well enjoy the gorgeous model sitting before him.

"So what's your next shoot about? Swimwear?"

Kiku flashed him a coy grin. "Well yes. You're correct. We're doing it on a beach. Its for a magazine. Would you like to come?"

"We'll see about that," Gaara said, his voice lowering. "Although I don't see why I shouldn't,"

The brunette laughed and crossed her legs.

"Tell me how did I do then with the sports car?"

"Eye opener. I like the shot where you sat on the bonnet." He smirked over the rim of his glass as he took a sip.

"Oh _that_," Kiku smiled. "Well I think I would look better on your car, Gaara."

"Really?" The redhead's tongue went in his cheek as he cocked his head to one side and studied her. "I can picture that."

"Oh you don't need to picture that," She smiled a coquettish smile.

* * *

"Oh you don't need to picture that,"

Back in the apartment, Hinata watched with legs crossed, her white eyes riveted on Kiku's face as the brunette flashed one of those smiles at Gaara again. The Hyuuga had never really seen such a woman throw herself at a man like this before. (Okay, she did because when you once had Uchiha Sasuke or Uchiha Itachi on your team, you wouldn't be surprised at countless gorgeous women coming up to chat with either brother.) Gaara was....well, really convincing once again and she tried not to imagine what would happen if she actually went undercover with him as a partner.

_Er, hello, you wouldn't be acting the way Kiku acted, and Gaara will have to keep his mouth shut like what he did when he drove you back to HQ remember? Both of you will just probably try and look intimate when you're discussing whether if Kusugi has walked through the doors yet or if the G5 will really destroy itself upon Kankurou's will._

Oh well.

A picture of a grinning blond came into her mind and Hinata blushed furiously. She'd rather be with Naruto undercover. He would probably fill the silence effectively unlike Gaara.

_So there._

Hinata focused on the screen as the waiter came back with gleaming plates of food, and her own stomach rumbled in response. _Well I can't rush off for food now,_ Hinata thought. She'd been a moron. She should have bought a couple of sandwiches or something! Hinata sighed and braced her elbow against the desk top, cheek on palm as she studied the video. Throughout the dinner, there was light flirting between the two, and she had almost had gotten bored.

Well she wasn't that disappointed about Kusugi's lack of presence. Things like this always happened.

Suddenly, the view of the camera shifted. Hinata could slightly see the entrance as Gaara bent to retrieved a knife, and a man entered. Glumly, she sighed and leant back. It wasn't Kusugi.

Kiku suggested dessert and Gaara agreed. Hinata could tell his patience was wearing thin; she hoped he would maintain his image.

* * *

Kusugi's lack of appearance did nothing to pacify Gaara, and although Kiku was entertaining, he thought she was rather shallow. The model seemed to have the notion that he would be going home with her to spend the night and he played along. He knew what to do in circumstances like this.

The redhead got her tipsy after a few drinks and he thanked the waiter on the way as he wrapped an arm around the brunette's waist, his car already waiting patiently for him at the entrance. Dumping her into the passenger seat, he pried her fingers away from her white clutch and flipped opened her wallet, where her IC was. Gaara glanced at the woman - she was giggling slightly, and her head lolled to a side with a dull thud after a few seconds. He smirked. Pressing a button on the dashboard, the small compartment below opened to reveal a screen with a number pad ranging from 1 to 10. Gaara pressed in the numbers on Kiku's identfication card and and the screen slipped through several pictures before it arrived to a picture of Kiku. Appearing rapidly below was her home address and all her personal particulars.

Satisfied, the agent flipped open his cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hinata." Gaara said. "I'm driving Kiku home. We'll meet at Leaf Green Road in one and a half hours' time. Bring the laptop along."

"Okay. Uh, what are you going to do to her?"

"Nothing," He replied as he drove off. "Leaf Green then."

"Alright."

The line went dead and Gaara slipped his cellphone into his pocket. He got to Kiku's apartment in several minutes and hauled her in, dropping her on the bed. He pulled off the bed clothes and stripped her, shoving her underneath while he rumpled the other side of the bed to make sure it look like someone had slept there before. Then he flung the green dress and the rest of her undergarments on the floor and ransacked the chairs outside to indicate that they had made quite a scene when they entered. Picking up the model's cellphone, he keyed in his number to a non Argon cell phone.

"Finally," He muttered, shrugging off his black suit, loping it around his arm. the agent glanced around and realised that there were pictures of herself in various photoshoots all over the place, not a single one of her friends or other people.

Stalking out of the room, he timed himself. 9.45.

One hour to have a fling.

* * *

Hinata stared at the houses lining the streets of Leaf Green Road and blinked. Well. It was like seeing several hundreds more of her family home, except that it was larger.

She had taken quite awhile to get to Leaf Green because it was further away from Gaara's apartment, and had gotten a hitch from a taxi she hailed. Hinata wondered if Gaara had a house here, and she distinctly remembered Tsunade giving him some keys.

_Oh._

The darkhaired woman stood there patiently with the laptop in its bag, and several minutes passed. Suddenly, she heard the familiar smooth drone of a car as headlights shone into the lane, and Gaara stopped beside the pavement, his black suit already discarded, leaving him in the white dress shirt. One hand was on the steering wheel while the other had dropped at his side. The Hyuuga felt a sense of deja vu as she saw that the redhead had pushed the sleeves up his elbows hurriedly, and an image of Gaara in the pub when they had conducted the arrest of Ishikawa Izumo flashed through her mind.

Pulling up the car door awkwardly where she almost hit her cheek, she slid in and closed it, face red.

"We didn't see him.", was his greeting.

"He could have a change of plans."

"Hm."

Gaara didn't sound angry - okay, a little, - but he wasn't entirely blaming her. There were lots of misses when it came to things like this. It was liable to changes. Hinata wondered what had happened to the model, but she didn't probe.

The redhead was following the GPS device, and he rolled to a stop at a two storey apartment with glass windows and a light brown and gray exterior.

"This is it." He said, scrutinising the house. "I suggest you stay here for now."

"Well," Hinata hesitated. "Alright. It would be more c-convenient for us."

* * *

Thanks.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**5.**

"Would it be better if we bugged him?"

Gaara watched Hinata across the table. "We can do that." He said, as he unbuttoned his dress shirt. Both were already in the apartment Tsunade had provided, settling down in the dining area.

"W-what are you doing?" Hinata asked nervously.

"Getting the camera out of the button." Gaara said, green eyes on hers. "What do _you_ think I was doing?"

"Nothing." She mumbled as he pulled off the shirt, and started to pick the button. She felt the heat rising up her face as he shifted, turning his head as a muscle protested.

_Couldn't he head off to a room?_

Hinata could picked out lines and contours on his chest, but she concentrated on the laptop instead, watching a red block labeled Kusugi Masato as he stayed in a place, sitting closely with other red blocks. She had managed to track Kusugi, with the software Hyuuga Corp had created. It was installed in every Argon owned notebook, including cell phones, and its brainchild was the program Gaara had used to identify the drug in the drink previously. Hinata had also used it countless times before.

Apparently, the man was in Otafuku Gai, located approximately 12 km from Konoha. He was currently in a pleasure quarter, but the Hyuuga couldn't tell what he was doing.

"Do we have all the names of the models working in Kusugi Agency?" Gaara asked as he slipped something tiny and silver out of the button.

"Yes." Hinata opened up a window. "There are about 100-150 models. I can put them all on alert if they get close to Kusugi. It may not suggest anything, but just to let us know that Kusugi's with the models."

"Okay." He handed her the camera across the table and Hinata placed it inside a plastic box carefully, afterwhich she returned to the computer. "Done," She said and her stomach growled audibly. Gaara seemed to have heard because he glanced at her sharply. "Didn't you eat?"

"Oh I did," She said lightly.

An eyebrow raised up. "Really?"

"Yes."

Hinata stared at the computer, blushing.

The redhead strode to the kitchen behind the dining area and pulled open the fridge. Tsunade sure ensured that her agents were well stocked, regardless of gadgets, food or clothes. "We have frozen pizza here."

Hinata's stomach protested.

"...and eggs, sushi..."

Was he _teasing_ her? He didn't look like someone who did that though.

"..dango...instant ramen.."

Sending a glance back at the computer screen where Kusugi appeared to be drinking and talking to another person, Hinata slid off the chair.

"You sure you don't want food?" The redhead leaned against the fridge door and stared questioningly at her, a glint of mischievousness in his orbs. Hinata blinked rapidly, but it seemed to have disappeared.

"I'll t-take the...the..instant ramen." Gaara shut the door and pulled opened the cupboard above his head, Hinata staring at his torso.

_No gawking, c'mon._

She couldn't help it. It was solid and - and....Gaara turned abruptly. Hastily, Hinata started to look for a pot to cover up. She found one in the bottom cupboard and rinsed it, then filled it with water.

"Are you having a cup too?"

"Yeah," Gaara said, dropping two cups onto the counter. The Hyuuga wasn't surprised. A man as tall and..._well built_ as Gaara needed plenty of food. At that moment, she noticed a smooth horizontal scar going longer than 5cm across his abdomen, nearly hidden by a muscle line as the redhead turned.

_What's that?_

She felt his eyes bore into her head sharply and Hinata averted them quickly. He_ really_ needed a shirt.

The Hyuuga licked her lips. "Er," She mumbled.

"What?"

"I t-think there are some...some s-shirts upstairs you know,"

He leaned against the counter watched her for a moment. "If it bothers you," He smirked and something hot ran through Hinata's entire body, the Hyuuga wondering if it was possible her face could get any redder. She gulped as he went off, and averted her eyes to the laptop again. Kusugi was heading out to the parking lot with a woman in tow. The female didn't appear to be a model for that matter, but Hinata studied it carefully instead. Nope, it certainly wasn't a model.

The tall redhead padded down the hallway, this time in shorts and a t-shirt.

"He went off with a woman." Hinata said, looking up. "Non model," She added.

"Hm." He approached her and looked over her shoulder. Kusugi was now in his car. Hinata pulled away and went to checked on the water, which was already boiling.

"Monday, we'll get him hooked." Gaara said, green eyes impatient. He didn't like the idea that his target was still lingering outside, and he hadn't established contact yet. Whenever he got an assignment, he wouldn't rest until it was over.

"Oh you will." Hinata glanced at him, blushing. She pushed his cup towards him but he scooped both up, a pair of chopsticks between his teeth while another poked through his fingers.

Hinata followed him out where he set the cups down. Grabbing the file Hinata had loaned him off the table, Gaara flipped through it as the ramen cooked.

His eyes landed on the vague Sunday schedule. Kusugi was likely to check on Kusugi Agency or head back to his company to work. Snapping it shut, he placed it aside and started to eat. There was the sort of silence that was meant to be filled with easy banter and chats, but dead silence hung between them. Hinata fidgeted. What was she supposed to say?

"You seem to be very hungry." Hinata tried.

"That portion back there was small."

"Oh."

Hinata went back to her noodles.

"You have a very good memory." Gaara said, clear green eyes staring across at her.

"Why?"

"Normally I have to give my passwords to agents through messages. But you remembered both."

"Oh, well." Hinata blushed. That was just memorising stuff. It wasn't too hard for her. She bet he could do it as well too. ...Or was he teasing her _again_? Really!

It was moments where she had the bulge of a gun or stun gun in her coat that she throughly felt the burden of an agent. When it came to shooting down baddies, she usually used her stun gun. She looked at Gaara carefully, his crimson hair vivid under the lights. He'd done well too.

"Uh, you sure convinced the blonde woman in the office too." Hinata said subtly, glancing at the laptop for safety measure. Kusugi was in his car. "In the car," she added, directing him to the laptop.

Gaara brought a glass of water to his lips and nodded, his eyes still on her, however.

"Did I convince you?" He set it down and she made the mistake of looking up over the laptop at him. The result - a beetroot red blush. _Why had he asked that for?_

As though reading her mind and the prolonged silence, he continued. "You're an agent. You can see the flaws clearer."

The problem was, there were no flaws.

"Uh." She began. "Yes."

_Elaborate! He thought you spotted flaws!_

"I mean you convinced me," She rushed out.

Gaara gave her a half smile half smirk combo which suddenly made him looked boyishly like Uzumaki Naruto and Hinata blushed.

* * *

Kiku blinked blearily, wincing as her head started to pound slightly. Weak sun rays had started to stream in through the binds.

_Oh, yes...the drinks._

She glanced around and realised that she wasn't wearing any clothes at all. And was that a slight indent beside her? _It was Gaara,_ She presumed. The gorgeous redhead had brought her home last night...and probably spent the night with her too. But the weird thing was she didn't have any recollection of pulling away his clothes or hers for that matter. Closing her eyes, she thought hard.

_What did he feel like?_

Nothing came to mind.

_What did he do?_

Her headache started again.

She probably had no memories because she'd been drunk and couldn't remember anything else. Looking around, she saw no sign of his clothes anywhere, and neither was the shower on. Kiku wrapped the sheets around her and got down. Her clothes were scattered all over the floor. Okay. She set out of the bedroom and glanced at the chairs. Ooh, he probably did _that_.

But _where_ was Gaara?

Pouting, she stalked back to her room and checked her cell phone. Gaara's number was there - so he did leave something behind after all. Pressing the dial button, she placed the phone at her ear.

After two rings, he picked up.

"Gaara?"

* * *

_Shit_, Gaara thought as he glanced at his other phone which was vibrating on top of the kitchen counter. Motioning to Hinata who was supervising scrambled eggs on a pan as Kankurou watched on interestedly, he signaled to them to be quiet.

His brother had popped by for a visit, and Temari was currently checking the apartment out.

Clearing his throat, he pressed a button.

"Yeah?...........I had to rush off because someone tried to steal my car........Yes." There was a long pause. Kankurou stared at him incredulously. "Really? Let me tell you something; you were really great last night.....of course." Kankurou now looked as though his brother had appeared in a dress. As though in response, Gaara chuckled. "We made a mess out of the chairs and table huh?......You weren't patient." Hinata was trying in vain to shush a laughing Kankurou politely and scoop scramble eggs out of the pan at the same time which was no mean feat. Gaara glared at him and pointed to the door._ Now_, he mouthed.

"Oh," The redhead snapped back to the phone. "Today?" He stared at Hinata, who met his gaze questionningly. "Sure. I'll be there." He drawled.

Pressing a button, Gaara dropped his phone onto the table.

"What happened?" Hinata asked. Gaara shot a dirty look at Kankurou who was laughing like a hyena. "Kiku thought I bedded her." He said as colour rose in Hinata's cheek. "She wants me to go watch her for some photoshoot at the beach." Hinata rushed to the laptop suddenly, which had been moved to Gaara's bedroom the night before and back to the dining table in the morning.

"Is Green Coast Road near the beach then?" She asked. "Oh I shouldn't be asking you," She sounded exasperated at herself, something he certainly hadn't seen or heard before. It was as though she had revealed a part of herself when she became excited. "Of course it is. Kusugi is heading to the beach, I think." Gaara went to the laptop and checked the roads made out of white lines. Green Coast Road appeared along the side of a car with a red mini Kusugi in it.

"I'll be going there now." He said to Hinata, heading for the stairs.

"I'll tail you soon," She called. "I think you'll need earpiece. Do you have the camera?"

"Okay. Yes. In the button already." Gaara responded as he took the stairs two at a time.

"You guys sound like a married couple." Kankurou remarked as he watched his brother. Hinata flushed. "Anyway, do you want a lift?" He asked as a bewildered Temari appeared.

"What's up with Gaara?"

"Something's cropped up. We could fetch Hinata to Green Coast couldn't we?" The dark haired man probed. "Before we head for the auto repair visit."

"Oh sure," Temari said as Gaara appeared in a dark blue polo t-shirt and white shorts to his knees, his hair mussed as usual. His collar was turned up. He took the plate of scrambled eggs Hinata had just cooked and shoved it down his throat with a fork, washing it down with coffee.

"That was fast," Temari said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't choke."

Hinata had already got the earpieces ready and handed it to Gaara. The redhead placed it in his ear, and was satisfied to note that Hinata couldn't see it. Even if someone pulled his ear or something, the tiny thing wouldn't drop. And _no one_ pulled Sabaku Gaara's ear.

"Camera?" Hinata asked.

"In the button."

Gaara had already made his way out with his car keys, and there was a beep of the G5 as he got in. The Hyuuga watched him worriedly, mentally checking if he had forgotten anything.

Cellphone...it was still on the table!

Hinata grabbed the gadget and ran out, making sure no one was watching at the same time. She dropped it in Gaara's lap as he rolled down th window. "Thanks," He said curtly.

She nodded, the car driving off. Until he disappeared, Hinata went back into the house and Kankurou whistled, grinning. "Man. That was some teamwork!"

"Of course," Temari said. "They have to have it." She smiled at Hinata. "Are you ready?"

"Um...wait a minute. I need to get a few things." The Hyuuga ran up and came down a few seconds later with a bag. "All set."

"Okay." Kankurou declared. "Let's go, people."

* * *

"Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," Came the deep voice of Gaara as Hinata tested out the earpieces.

"Okay."

Temari had dropped her off at the carpark, and the Hyuuga'd made her way near where some photographers with cameras, tripod stands and other equipment were set up. A crowd of people had been looking on excitedly, and some gawked at the models who were at a side. Hinata had joined the crowd, genuinely interested. She'd never seen something like this before. Off to one side, she couldn't miss the bright red thatch of hair - Gaara was talking to the pretty brunette she had seen. Hinata stared at her. Her dark hair fell in glossy waves, the bikini she wore accentuating her curves perfectly.

She could hear what Gaara was saying, but her mind didn't quite register it.

If Kiku thought Gaara had bedded her...then what did that mean? She was undressed when she woke up? How could Gaara just...not do anything?

Well it wasn't like she wanted him to do something.

He really was tough, mentally and physically.

...unless he lied. But Gaara definitely wan't the sort to lie and act like a lowlife.

Kiku kissed him on the cheek and she ran off to join two other models. Hinata looked around, spotting Kusugi Masato conversing with a man in jeans and t-shirt with a clipboard pressed against his chest. Two bodyguards further away were looking a little out of place, and Hinata assumed that they were Kusugi's. Kusugi patted the man on the shoulder and moved away, towards Gaara. He reached the tall redhead and they shook hands with each other.

_Yes. _She cheered silently.

"...Sabaku Gaara," She caught her partner saying.

"Ah yes," Kusugi said. "I know your sister. Sabaku Temari. A very talented woman. By the way, I saw a very unusual Kaze out in the carpark. Is that yours?"

"The black one?"

"Yes, yes, the black one,"

"That's mine,"

"It is certainly the most unusual vehicle,"

"It is," She saw Gaara pretend to nod. "But the even better thing about the beauty is that its not on the market,"

"A shame," Kusugi declared.

"Yet," Gaara continued. Hinata could practically feel him smirking.

There was a low chuckle. "Aha! I am glad to hear that. Well, I'm certainly impressed. I would like to give it a run sometime."

"Why not?" Gaara said, tilting his head. "Perhaps you would like a drive?"

"I would be very glad to," Kusugi said. "If you don't mind."

"Of course," The redhead started to turn. "Shall we then, Kusugi-san?"

"Call me Masato, Gaara," The older man said as he followed him.

"Masato then," The redhead said politely.

Hinata watched, heart thumping. She averted her eyes to the models, careful not to stare at them too much. She wondered if Kusugi would notice anything out of ordinary in the car, but when she had first entered, the interior looked as normal as a cat would with a tail, and noted that without the knowledge of the car being 'special', the view Kusugi took would be different from hers. The man waved away his two bodyguards as they started to follow him, but stayed put after that.

Suddenly, after the redhead had disappeared with the man, she had a ripping sound from her ear and realised that Gaara had ripped away their contact. Or was it that _someone_ had pulled it out?

Hinata started to sweat.

_Calm down, you've been in stickier situations before._ _Gaara knows what to do. Trust him._

_But what if he really really needs help?_

Hinata glanced back at the two bodyguards, who had remained behind. Even if Kusugi took him on, it was quite clear that Gaara would be alright.

Her cell phone vibrated and Hinata rummaged through her bag hurriedly, walking away from the crowd as sand started to seep in slightly to her sandals.

_EF, _it read.

Hinata let out air. EF stood for everything's fine, because if an agent did get knocked out or something and another person had sent a message, it wouldn't be in code, and the agent recipient would know that something was wrong.

Gaara definitely had something up his sleeve.

Sighing, Hinata took out a mat and sat down. There was no need to start pacing and look anxious.

She trusted what Gaara was doing.

* * *

Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **You know, winterkaguya made me think. Yeah, we should see Gaara green with envy huh? That would be interesting. I'm working on it. Anyway, I will replace the crappy summary I put up because I'm figuring out the plot as I'm writing. But not yet. I have an out line of it already, so don't worry. I mean, what kind of author figures the plot out after writing a story? Jeez!

Er, I don't think Konoha really has a beach, but then again, its AU. Everything may look smooth sailing for the next chapter or so, but brace yourselves for a stumble at the end. Thanks to the people for reviewing so constantly! I appreciate it. :)

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**6.**

Gaara watched easily as Kusugi eyed the dash board, fingers gripping the steering wheel. The latter had taken a close look at the car's bumper, fender, doors, and windscreen, his gaze sharp and alert. The redhead's instincts went on alert immediately, which had prompted him to rip out his earpiece casually unbeknownst to the man. There was definitely something he was looking out for.

"But why a U-shaped steering wheel?" Kusugi asked.

_That's easy._

"For image." The redhead said. "It stands out, especially among other cars." _Like yours, _He added mentally.

"Well, well," Kusugi shook his head in amazement at the lush interior.

"Speed is the G5's forte," Among other things Kusugi didn't need to know. Gaara knew Temari and Kankurou would have _loved_ to watch the expression on Kusugi's face.

"Certainly," He said, starting the engine. "Its fits the car's image to a T."

"Naturally."

Kusugi drove around the carpark and out onto the main road thereafter which he drove back in again. "Smooth," He commented. "Very powerful." There was just the slightest hint of envy which Gaara detected, and it floated away before he could verify it again. He backed into a parking lot carefully and killed the engine. "It was a pleasure," Kusugi said, handing Gaara the car keys.

"You're welcome." The redhead retrieved it. "Masato,"

The older man smiled charmingly.

* * *

Really, Hinata was quite sure that plenty of women had their eye on Gaara when she spotted him with Kusugi on the beach again quite a few hours later, after she had occupied herself with a drink, the kiosk nearby and the photoshoot. No wonder Kiku clung to him like a barnacle.

From the words Kusugi had used earlier, he had obviously been talking about the G5 and she felt a surge of pride for his two older siblings. Hinata had overheard Temari saying that she had taken more than 5 years to develop the design, and seeing Gaara match so perfectly with the vehicle certainly paid off. The Hyuuga had a feeling that the car was _indeed_ specially designed for her younger brother. It was an unusual thing to see her partner interacting with his siblings, something quite rare on assignments.

The models were in the midst of doing several poses in the shallow water, but Kiku wasn't one of them. She had gone towards Gaara, a glass of iced tea garnished with a slice of lemon in one hand. Hinata saw her call him and the redhead approached her.

She watched them for awhile as they talked and got up with her empty drink in hand. There was a dustbin up ahead behind the kiosk, and the Hyuuga made her way there.

Rounding the kiosk, her heart stopped cold when she saw a teenager with something gleaming against her throat, another taller man wearing a cap pulled low and a mask over his face.

The girl whimpered, her plea made known in her fearful brown eyes.

"Hey!" Hinata said without thinking. Surprisingly, her voice was rather loud, but the man pulled the girl against his chest, the knife still directed at her neck. Hinata could see that it was pressing deeply into the skin and her heart thudded wildly.

_Calm down, calm down!_

"Get away," The man growled.

Hinata gulped.

"Go away, or I'll slit her throat," He snarled. "I won't hesitate, woman!"

"O-okay okay!"

The Hyuuga sprinted away from the scene and rounded the kiosk, which changed her position; the assailant now had his back against her. Grabbing a dustbin lid, she brought it down hard on top of the man's head. He yelled and whirled, releasing the girl. Throwing her empty can at him, she kicked him hard in the shins, and socked his cheek, but something sharp and searing erupted through her left arm. The girl screamed for help and the fat owner of the kiosk came rushing in, eyes wild.

"What the hell-"

The man pushed past him and sprinted away quickly through the sand, disappearing when he exited the carpark nearby.

"You're bleeding," The fair teenager said, rushing to her side. "Are you okay? Thank you so much! I thought you were going to leave me there!"

"Lady," The burly man said, who was wearing a singlet. "You better come in here. The gash looks pretty deep."

Wordlessly, Hinata smiled at the girl and followed him in. He had gotten a first aid kit down from a top shelf and was peering at it. Glancing down, Hinata saw blood oozing merrily out from the wound, which was about 7 cm long.

"Ouch," The girl said wincing. She guided Hinata to a sink. "We need to wash it first." She said importantly, flipping her dark hair over a shoulder.

"Oh okay," Hinata clenched her teeth when the teen turned on the tap. "Here goes," She said and pulled her arm gently under the water. There was slight pain, but it wasn't that bad. After all, she had been splat in the middle of gun shots before, so this wasn't so serious for her.

"She probably needs antiseptic," The kiosk owner said, scratching his head.

"Yes," Hinata spoke up. "And then some bandages."

"Alright."

The girl helped Hinata to clean the wound and then wrapped it up neatly. "Do be careful with your arm," She said.

"I will. Thank you," The Hyuuga gave both the man and the teen a reassuring smile.

"Thank _you_," The girl beamed at her.

* * *

Gaara had quite enough of models by the end of the day after rubbing shoulders with so many of them. He had gotten sick of all the skin being bared. He missed the intenser assignments where tackling down his target physically ASAP was the main priority. But he was immensely satisfied when he felt Kusugi observing him and Kiku, _including_ the moments where he eyed the other models with interest. Anyone not blind could tell what kind of a man he was. Kusugi was fairly predictable. He indulged in luxury and the redhead knew that Kusugi had taken such an interest in him because he dated models, drove a car which the man would want as his and furthermore, was the sister of Sabaku Temari and Kankurou.

Glanced around, wondering for a moment where was his partner. He liked the way she worked; no doubts, no questions but full trust and smooth co operation. That was what he needed.

"So Gaara," Kusugi said, interrupting his thoughts. "How long have you been with the model?"

"A few days," He said. "Why?"

"Well," Kusugi contemplated, watching Kiku. "Its just that..."

"She knows what she wants."

The man grinned. "Ah. So you do know that."

"Women are easy to read," He said smirking as he remembered the way Hinata blushed.

The man chuckled for a long time. "Well, well," He said, rubbing his hands together.

_Say it,_ Gaara thought. _Say it._

"I believe your sister and brother's invited to the launch of my new sports car no?"

"She was," The redhead replied.

"Well do come along then," Kusugi said, nodding. "You wil be interested in the other numerous luxury cars."

From his siblings, Gaara knew that Sharingan's Uchiha Fugaku and his sons would most likely be there, a great advantage if Kusugi chose that appropriate moment to push a model to him. However, the crux was that if he _introduced_ a model to him, then he couldn't take any action at all.

"That's a good idea," He said, smiling winningly. "I'll definitely be there,"_._

* * *

"So that redhead is your boyfriend?" Okyou squealed as she brushed back several loose starnds and picked up a mirror to check her face.

"Yes," Kiku said smugly. "He's the sister of Sabaku Temari; she owns Kaze Automobile, and you should totally see his car- its gorgeous."

"Ooh," Mayumi chimed in, her blue eyes wide. "Is it a sports car?"

"Um...yeah. I think Gaara is the only one with that car. Furthermore, you need someone good looking to go with such a great car. I mean, you don't see nerds driving that around, do you?" Okyou and Mayumi giggled at Kiku's words.

"So he's rich." Mayumi whispered in awe. " I bet lots of other women will want him to,"

"Sorry girls," Kiku said flipping her hair. "He's mine."

"We can see that," Okyou pouted. "Well hang on tight to him, Kiku," She grinned slyly. "Or some other woman will get him!"

"Don't worry," She replied confidently. "That won't happen."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hinata had gotten back to the house and loaded up Gaara's laptop again, cracking her head while trying to remember his password.

_"Normally I have to give my passwords to agents through messages. But you remembered both." _

Oh, she _had_ to remember them.

_Ooh, you want to impress him._

No. Of course not.

Shoving the voice back her head, Hinata blinked. Ah....she remembered! She grinned and loaded up the software and settled into the usual routine of watching a 'live' video again. The lack of action suited her perfectly fine, because most of the time back in Argon, she'd done report work, and worked with Shikamaru in the resource and development department, where she and Neji spent time developing the tracking software to help improve it for a faster and smoother usage in any gadget. It was only just this year that she had been recruited physically, but she enjoyed the satisfaction of working with her teammates, although the fear that she alone could blow the team's cover did made her falter sometimes. Normally, the success rate was high especially with the likes of Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Shikamaru and the rest in the team.

Her family itself revolved around Argon, workwise - Hyuuga Hiashi headed Hyuuga Corp, providing mostly gadgets used physically, which gave her an advantage to several latest equipment. She didn't doubt that Kaze and Sharingan used their inventions in cars either.

_Right. One big happy family._

Hinata's family however, had several missing 'gaps' - her mother had passed away two years after the birth of her younger sister, and Neji's own father, the twin brother of her father, was killed in the line of duty when he was four. The pain or grief didn't come down as hard for her or her cousin because at that time, they were still very young. It was no wonder her father had brought her up with a very strict hand.

There was nothing much happening now on screen; Gaara appeared to be in his car and was and Hinata wondered if Gaara had succeeded, although her intuition told her he had. Even if they managed to get through the entire assignment, all models from Kusugi Agency would have to be questioned as to back up the evidence retrieved from this assignment.

And if it was insufficient, then Kusugi would ultimately become a free man.

Her white eyes landed on the screen, and she noted that it was already half past 5. Well it would be long time before Gaara came home (_if_ he did)- Hinata moved closer to the screen, abruptly stopping her thoughts. Gaara was watching the windscreen; it showed the G5 drawn out in thin lines, and only the bumper was blinking red rapidly. Foreign tracking device detected on car bumper, it read.

The car had obviously been bugged.

_Wait, Gaara's coming up the pathway!_

Hinata ran to the door and wrenched it opened. There he was, looking tense.

"Wha-"

"Go in. I'll explain."

She moved backwards rapidly as he shut the door.

"Did you see?" He asked, and Hinata was fast enough to know what he was talking about.

"Yes," She breathed. "Its on the- back."

"Are you _bugged_?" The Hyuuga mouthed the last word.

"No. I used the phone to do a search, but it didn't detect anything."

"He wants to know if he can trust you completely." Hinata said, her forehead creasing.

"No." Gaara's eyes turned hard. "He wants to make sure his ass is covered. If we take it out, he'll know we're agents. What happened to your arm?"

Caught off guard, Hinata looked up at him.

"Uh. There was, there was a robbery,"

"You got robbed?"

"No no," Hinata said hurriedly. "A teenage girl was held at knifepoint, and the man told me to go away before he cut her throat, so I ran - around the kiosk, becuase he was behind it, and then took him out with a er, dustbin lid from behind, kicked his k-knees a-and punched his c-cheek- you're l-laughing."

Well to be truthful, Gaara wasn't actually _laughing_. But his _eyes_ were laughing. It was a very handsome sight, if one could call it, and Hinata had rapidly turned various shades of red as she dropped her gaze.

"You actually- punched him?"

"I just hit him in the cheek." She said. "A-and the shins. He sort of cut me."

"Well done,"

"It wasn't much you know." She stammered.

"Yeah, when you have a bandage." Gaara said a tad sarcastically as he moved into the kitchen.

"By the way, I didn't know you kickedass."

Hinata blushed.

"Kicked shins," She corrected. "Not ass."

It sounded refreshing to hear her say ass.

* * *

Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: I was on a roll yesterday, which probably explained why 6 came out so fast. Heh. I can't help feeling that the the story's getting boring hm? Sheesh. I'm working on it. :D

I _hope_ I have been in line with you guys' expectations with 39 point 948. Enjoy it anyway!

Thanks guys, for your amazing reviews!

I'm raising the rating to M, just for the sake of the last scene in this chapter. *I spotted a mistake of mine between some chapters on Friday night and I sat up straight away in bed, going, 'Oh crap...'. Did you spot it?

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**7.**

After Hinata had let the idea fully sink in that she had attempted, no had corrected the redhead about his words, she hurriedly moved on to the next thing on her mind.

"How did it go?"

Gaara drank about several gallons of water from his cup before speaking.

"Kusugi tried out the G5 and he invited me to the launch. He looks like he's taking the bait after he saw me checking out the models. If Uchiha Itachi and his brother are going to be present, I may need their help."

"Oh. They are going too?"

"Hm."

"What- What if Kusugi _really _didn't do like what Tsunade told us?"

"That's what we're here for, aren't we?" He rinsed his glass. "The report mentioned that police believed he received the money from the men after they were done with the girls. So we need to know if he really did as Tsunade said."

"We sent some agents down-"

"-And nothing happened." Gaara finished. "The man's sharp. I checked on who went undercover. Moegi and another partner. They're rookies, which explains it."

_Oh._

"If they sent Tenten, Sakura, Ino or even Yuuhi Kurenai, there would be an even better chance of uncovering his deeds."

"Mm." Hinata contemplated. What Gaara said was mainly true. "Are you going to take Kiku then?"

"I broke up with her." He said, palms on the counter while he squared his shoulders, looking as if he did that everyday. Hinata's eyes widened.

"You got a new-"

"Yeah."

The Hyuuga stared at his shoulder (she didn't want to look into those eyes again). _Whoa._ _He's fast. Really fast._

"Another model?" She smiled.

"No."

The way he said 'no' sounded _almost_ incredulous.

_Ha! Don't tell me he's bringing you._

Her eyebrows drew closer to each other as he waited for her to respond. Gaara raised his eyebrow. "For an agent, you're pretty slow."

_I told you! Ding ding ding!_

"Oh," She said, fully realising it then. Two bright red spots appeared on her cheek.

The redhead smirked. "Its tomorrow."

"Okay." Hinata, said, rearranging her thoughts, while trying not to look as though she was blushing. Really! Why couldn't he just come straight out and tell her? "Why don't we do this?" She took a deep breath. "If he does exactly what all of us expects him to do, we'll have a backup team tomorrow, which will go on to arrest him."

"What if he doesn't?" The redhead asked.

"Then...we'll try again."

"If Sasuke and Itachi are going to be present, we don't need a backup team."

Hinata knew that a backup team consisted of 2-8 people and based on the situation, you decided how many agents should be in a team. Taking down Ishikawa Izumo had been approx. 6 people, mainly because there was too high a chance for Izumo to slip away and hence the number. But with the likes of Itachi, Sasuke, and Gaara as well as she herself, it was almost enough.

"Okay..." She nodded. Picking up his cell phone, Gaara checked the list of Argon agents who were assignment free. Uchiha Sasuke was currently on one in Takigakure with Rock Lee, while Itachi was unoccupied, a rather rare moment. Taking into account that Kusugi had two bodyguards, another agent would be needed, especially if one of them was a female.

Naruto was free as well.

He sent an alert to both Itachi and Naruto and informed Hinata of the change.

The Hyuuga twisted her fingers together. _Naruto_ would be there as well. She hadn't seen him for a long while and wondered how he was doing.

Perhaps his progress with Sakura was good? More than good? Or could it be none at all?

She bit the inside of her cheek.

"I'm going to bathe." Gaara said, his gaze penetrating, as though he could sense a sudden change of mood in her.

"Yes. Please go ahead."

* * *

The redhead cast his partner another glance before proceeding upstairs. At the mention of Naruto, something changed on her features, but he hadn't recognised what.

_"Sorry," She gasped to Gaara. "Naruto?"_

Oh he remembered _that_ kiss alright.

_"Yeah, we caught Izumo. He's being stunned down there. I got some police down to pick up the bodies soon. See ya at HQ Hinata-chan! Bring Gaara too!" _

_"I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean to- to- to-"_

_"You are married."_

_"N-no,"_

_"A boyfriend."_

_"N-no."_

_He raised an eyebrow._

_"N-nothing." She mumbled. _

So he _was _right. If Gaara remembered, Naruto harboured feelings for Haruno Sakura. Did he know about Hyuuga Hinata and her feelings then? _Most likely not_, he thought dryly. The lady was shy and hesitant with her actions. It was like placing a mouse in front of a nuclear bomb, which would probably explode before the mouse could even squeak.

He stepped into the bathroom and pulled off his shirt, draping his clean clothes on the metal bar across the sink. Gaara caught a reflection of himself in the mirror, his emerald orbs going straight to the smooth straight scar across his abdomen. Running horizontally a little more than 6 cm, it originated clearly from something viciously sharp which he hadn't forgotten all these years. Hinata had seen it, but she hadn't asked anything about it.

The redhead tore his eyes away from the scar and forced himself under the cold shower. Now was not the time for a trip down sweet memory lane.

If Kusugi was tracking him, he'd have to be very careful about his moves and what he uttered. There was no room for errors. Speaking of which Kiku had cried that he was _indeed_making a mistake after he told her he wanted out. He needed Hinata beside him on Monday so that they could get closer to Kusugi. And it would definitely be easier too.

Kiku had thrown a big tantrum about it, and he clearly wouldn't want his girlfriend (if he ever had one) to be like _her_. So he thought it would be painless if he didn't beat about the bush. He didn't like doing that anyway. Apparently, Kiku saw the straight forward way as a very torturous and painful one.

_Bad choice huh_, he chuckled darkly under the water.

She had screamed threats and cried, mellowing to begging and pleading later, neither of which he could tolerate.

* * *

Carefully, Hinata unwrapped her bandage and inspected the wound, which had gotten just slightly better. It wasn't too deep or light, and the bandages had been stained healthily with blood already. Dumping them in the bin, Hinata went in search for fresh bandages in a cupboard above the sink, only to find it in the next one. She brought the box down and went back to the dining table where her laptop was set up with the tracker tracking Kusugi again. He was at a local bar, having drinks with a four Kusugi models and two other models as well. Keeping an eye on it, she pressed several keys where the people-like blocks changed to blue and red, blue for male, red for female. There were five males altogether; one would be Kusugi, two his bodyguards and what about the other two?

Hinata kept her eyes riveted to the screen, watching the males closely. For about 5 minutes, nothing happened, except that more drinks appeared on a supposed counter. Still, the Hyuuga watched on.

"Gaara," She called as she spotted him from the corner of her eye. "Maybe you want to take a look at this." Hinata explained the blocks and he tensed.

"Do you think we should head down..."

_He knows I'll be going there as well. The vehicle's bugged. But it wouldn't hurt...I'll just be there with Hinata...for drinks. _He calculated rapidly.

"Okay." He said. "We'll go." Green eyes dropped on her arm, where the wound was and fleetingly, several emotions crossed his features.

Slight shock, inspection and then......just the slightest hint of... _fear_? It was all rolled in one, but his face became a blank slate in a second, and Hinata wondered if she had conjured them up herself.

"Is that the wound?" He asked in his normal tone.

"Well yes."

Silently, he picked up a roll of new bandages and passed it to her, eyes on the laptop.

"Do you feel giddy?" The redhead asked sharply. "Fever?"

"N-no," Hinata replied.

"Okay." He concentrated hard on the screen. "After you've finished, we'll leave."

"Alright," She agreed, already covering her wound.

Two red blocks left the area in the laptop, leaving four models left. Half were Kusugi's models, Gaara thought as he gripped the corner of the table.

Just enough for two men.

"I'm done," Hinata said quickly, shoving things into her bag. "I'll just change." She called over her shoulder as she sprinted up. By the time she came down, only two models were left. Without waiting, Hinata switched her cell phone to the tracking device, appearing with the same scene as the laptop.

"You can switch it off." She said, peering at it. Gaara snapped it closed and turned to her, admiring the translucent pale red top she had on. It had several elements similar to the kimono like the sleeves, and it was pulled back around her waist by a red satin ribbon at the back. Red swirls decorated it. Underneath it, she had on a red tube.

_Talk about early Christmas presents_.

He made for the door and slipped his cell phone in his pocket, Hinata following. They got into the car under 5 seconds, the Hyuuga still had an eye on her phone.

"Gaara," There was note of urgency in her voice. "I think Kusugi just dropped something into a drink."

That was all Hinata had to say.

Gaara accelerated sharply, and Hinata felt the car response immediately. No wonder Kankurou had said it was _obedient_. There was no doubt about it. She felt her stomach drop and clutched the door handle tightly as sensations rippled through her. A few minutes later, they had reached the bar, with Gaara backing into a parking lot.

"Anything happened?"

"Nope."

Hinata opened the car door, almost forgetting that it swung upwards as she got out.

"Watch your head," Gaara warned as he helped her out. He closed the door and inspected the screen.

"Its the third drink from the left. The one a little out of line." Hinata pointed out.

He gave her his hand and she looked at him. Impatiently, he grabbed it. "Are you really okay?"

"Y-yes," She blushed. "Sorry. Let's hurry."

They entered through the front, Hinata pretending to text on her phone while Gaara glanced around and got a seat at a corner with low chairs and a low table, where they had a good view of the bartop. Kusugi had his back to them, including the rest of his entourage. Two older men were seated there, one chatting with a young model while the other was engaged in a heavy conversation with him. The two bodyguards were nowhere to be seen. Hinata sat next to him and he placed an arm around the seat, moving closer to her, his cheek almost brushing her shoulder.

Both of them looked at the screen.

The model who had chatted with one of Kusugi's friends walked past them further back into the restroom, a similar red block walking across in the screen.

"I do believe that was her drink he placed something in."

"Hm. Did she touch it?"

"No. Not yet at least."

Hinata slipped the phone into her handbag, leaving the screen partly visible.

"I'll go order some drinks." He said, pulling away from her, the warmth he emanated escaping. "Keep an eye on them."

"Okay."

Hinata glanced around. No one had really noticed them, mainly because there was a rather rowdy crowd near the countertop made up of some young men and women. A few minutes later, a waiter brought two drinks over. She took a sip out of her own glass and peered in the direction where Gaara had left.

She needed the restroom _now_.

Standing up with her handbag, the Hyuuga made her way to the other restroom further back and tactfully avoided the gaze of a bulky man with a beard and a leery look. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.

Suddenly, she felt a need to lean against the wall for support, her mind becoming hazier by the second. The Hyuuga felt as though she couldn't quite control her actions. Even the sign on the wall didn't quite register in her mind what it said.

_What's going on?_

She didn't want to think anymore, or rather, she couldn't - she wanted to lie down. Forcing herself to move back, the man turned towards her and opened his mouth, but she didn't know what he was saying, because it was as though he had become a muted television. He was moving far too quickly towards her, and she felt her eyelids getting heaver as she sat down on the floor in an untidy heap.

"G-Gaa.." Hinata managed. Trying to stop a pair of hands from pulling her arms, she stood up again, wobbling on her feet. _I've been drugged..._

The Hyuuga took a few more steps forward and crashed into the man, who laughed. Her breathing was gradually becoming shallower as well.

"G-go," She mumbled, pushing the man's chest. It might as well have been a nudge, because the man took her arm and pulled her out through a back door into the cool night air, but it didn't help at all.

"Mmm..." She sighed when the man who was looking more and more like Gaara every minute, pulled at her ribbon and nudged aside the soft fabric. That felt good.

But she wanted to sleep now. Gaara would have to wait.

"I-" She panted as he pulled off her top. "Gaa...G-gaara.." Hinata was pulled hard against his chest and she was made to lean her head against Gaara's shoulder as his hands started roaming her waist and chest.

"Sl...sle..sleep.." She protested weakly, but her hands and brain were very tired, and they wouldn't obey her at all. It was as though she had been knocked hard on the head, but not sufficient enough to be unconscious. The translucent top fell away, and he started to unbutton her jeans, after which he did his. She leaned against the wall, staggering a bit as the man shoved down his own jeans and came at her again.

If her mind had been clear, she would have wondered why Gaara's eyes were a greedy green and his hair too black. But her judgement was getting faultier as he kissed her neck, and she let him do as he pleased, although she wanted terribly to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Thanks! Don't worry, I'm scared too. :P


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **I thought this chapter was a bit weird. Anyway, enjoy. :D

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**8.**

Hinata watched through half lidded eyes as she felt warm fingers brush her thigh, and fear slowly crept through her heart, entwining its hands around it as she trembled finely, feeling colder and colder. What was Gaara doing-

Something seemed to have crashed into Gaara, pulling him away - no, there were two Gaaras, one looking terribly vicious, while the other looked annoyed.

"G- Gaa..ra.."

His copper red hair gleaming under the street lamp, Gaara had moved in front of her, while the other man in the black t-shirt growled. The redhead seemed to have snarled something, because black t-shirt was yelling too. Hinata reached out slowly for the redhead, the right Gaara, but he advanced towards the other stranger and did a complicated kick which had had the man sprawled on his knees, his unzipped jeans making him at a disadvantage.

Gaara hurled several punches at him, dragged the man towards the door and hauled him in, giving him a last kick as he roared a string of words which ade no sense whatsoever. The agent must have been punched, because he spat blood out from his mouth into the drain as he came towards her. Hinata wasn't aware, but she must have been crying all that while because she felt her cheeks getting wet as she staggered towards him and he caught her fully against his chest, one hand of hers fisting his white shirt tightly as she mumbled incoherently. He didn't admit it, but it scared him to see her like this - there was something awfully haunting about her expression; he had seen it on his mother's face before.

"Hinata," His palm cupped her cheek, slapping her very lightly. "_Respond_."

She sobbed harder, her mind pleading to sleep, but she couldn't phrase it in words for Gaara. Clinging tightly to him, he pulled her in an embrace, his nose in her neck, one hand on her hip while the other stayed secure around her waist.

He didn't know what to say - Hinata had clearly been drugged, and she wasn't in the correct state of mind. When he had appeared, the bastard had already gotten most of her clothes off, and she didn't seemed to be putting up a fight. Fury gnawed at him. Hinata was now trying very hard to say his name, but she could only stop at 'Gaa', and he clenched his teeth, wondering _who_ had ordered the drinks for them. The redhead had a very violent urge to wallop something, but settled for tightening his hold on her waist instead.

Gaara hadn't got to the bartender first - he had made a visit to the toilet, thereafter which he went to the bartop, and _then_ ordered drinks, only to find that there were a total of four drinks on their table. One had been touched, and Hinata was nowhere to be seen. Gaara had presumed that she had went off to the restroom, but it took her far too long to return, and he found her bag dropped onto the floor, clearly a sign of trouble.

He released the Hyuuga and bent to picked up her top, but her snow white eyes were fearful. In response, he gripped her hand tightly.

"I'm just picking your clothes up."

He reached for the soft material and helped her back into it, even tying the ribbon back into place. Hinata still look out of character; her eyes weren't focused, and she couldn't walk properly. She was sweating buckets too although she didn't seemed to be breathing much. Gaara's arm went under her knees and he lifted her as she gripped his neck, her head against his chest. On the way however, her grip on his neck slakened bit by bit. He managed to get her into the car, rolling down the windows.

The redhead watched Hinata for a moment, analysing as he leaned against the side of the car. She was in the passenger seat, drifting off to a deep slumber. Gaara flipped open her cell phone; one of the models was with a man and Kusugi had left - he was in his car.

"Shit." He gritted his teeth.

Perhaps the best thing to do now was to call Shizune, who was a walking medical and drug encyclopaedia which Tsunade herself relied upon occasionally. His cellphone could well replace Shizune, but relying on her was better than relying on a gadget.

Pressing several buttons, he held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" A feminine voice answered.

"Shizune,"

"Gaara? What's wrong?"

"Hinata's been drugged, and she can barely say my name. She mistook another man for me as well. Know what drug does that?"

"Does she have shallow breathing?"

"...Yes." He heard her typing on a keyboard.

"Does she stagger?"

"Yes."

More keyboard typing.

"Would you consider her actions as....um, sluggish?"

"_Yes_."

His last yes was laced with a growl, and Shizune seemed to have sensed his impatience because she hurried on. "Okay, okay, I've matched those to an overdose of barbiturate - has she gone off to sleep yet?"

"Bar-what?" He glanced back at her. "Yeah, she's asleep."

"She's _asleep_?"

"Yes,"

"Gaara, I need you to try and get her to wake up. Even if she just mumbles something and goes back to sleep, that's considered as a response. Now do that and tell me the result."

Gaara bent into the vehicle and nudged the Hyuuga several times before her forehead creased and she turned her head the other way, murmuring.

"She murmured and looked a little annoyed."

"Excellent. I need you to monitor her. Make sure she doesn't become unresponsive. Oh yeah, and make her gag too. Get whatever she drank out of her system ASAP."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Call me if anything props up."

* * *

Hinata awoke groggily to a dimly litted room, her gaze focusing on Gaara's chiseled features, his crimson hair tousled, several copper strands dropping into his deep green eyes. Hinata noticed that his arms were on either side of her. She blinked once then twice to clear her vision, feeling as though she had awoken from a coma.

"You're up," He said, his baritone sending pleasuring chills down her spine.

Then she remembered.

The man in the black t-shirt, him undressing her, her feeling peculiar, rewinding back to the way she had stumbled and the drink she had took.

_"Mmm..." She sighed when the man who was looking more and more like Gaara every minute, pulled at her ribbon and nudged aside the soft fabric. That felt good._

_"I-" She panted as he pulled off her top. "Gaa...G-gaara.." Hinata was pulled hard against his chest and she was made to lean her head against Gaara's shoulder as his hands started roaming her waist and chest._

Hinata jerked back hastily.

Without thinking, Gaara place his hand over hers. "Its okay. We're home." He said, green eyes touching her own pale ones. He hadn't noticed until later, his choice of words. "I made you gagged just now to clear the toxins. Someone obviously drugged your drink."

"But I took a sip only," Hinata said, one hand folding around the navy bedclothes. She noticed that he had placed her in his room, not hers, and the thought made her feel strongly towards him.

"It must have been strong." He removed his hand and the Hyuuga had an urge to make him put it back.

"Someone orderered the drinks when you were in the toilet. So I thought you were the one who had s-sent the drinks."

"It wasn't." Gaara said, anger rippling through him. "That someone did that while I was in the restroom."

"Kusugi..." The Hyuuga said urgently. "Where is he?"

"Gone."

"I'm sorry," She whispered.

"We couldn't see it coming." He said, moving away. "Nobody's to blame."

"What about the model and the drink?"

"She went with a man. It could be her boyfriend, her friend, an associate - we don't know."

Hinata's shoulders dropped.

"We still have another chance tomorrow." He eyed her.

"Yes." The Hyuuga smiled.

"Do you feel sleepy?"

"No...not really."

"Tell me at once if you feel wrong."

"Okay." She tried to get out of bed, but the redhead stopped her. "What are you doing?" Gaara asked sharply.

"I need to c-change my bandages," Hinata said nervously.

"Stay there. I'll get it for you."

He slipped out of the room, Hinata blinking at the empty space where Gaara had been previously. She had an odd feeling that if he was her boyfriend, he would be doing exactly the same thing too...._right_?

Gaara appeared again with the kit and instead of dropping it on the bed, he sat down beside her thigh and opened the kit.

"Thanks. I can do it."

"No thanks. _I_ will do it." He said with some final authority in his tone and he stared at her, silently demanding her arm to be held out. She did so meekly, his fingers deftly undoing the bandage, sometimes touching her skin lightly in the process. It fell away and he dropped it between them, emerald eyes fastened on the line.

Almost the same scar, caused by the same object, but there because of similar motives - to hurt.

_There was a loud yell, a flash of silver as the redhead cried out in pain, one hand reaching for his mother._

_"Gaara, are you okay? Gaara?!" His mother bent over him, silky red hair falling over one shoulder while one hand covered the wound, her own hand stained with his blood. _

_The tall man with dark hair who had so viciously wounded him wielded the knife, shouting something, but his mother retorted angrily with several words as she held the 4 year old boy against her chest. His mother had never been angry before. _

_Then there were several moments where he remembered just seeing blood, and then his mother smiling tiredly at him as her arms gradually went limp. She touched his cheek, leaving a drop of blood on his forehead._

He tore his eyes away from the wound and unrolled the banadages swiftly, covering it up.

"A-are you okay?" Hinata asked softly.

"Yes," He cleared his throat, and his features fell back into its passive state easily. Nothing was said as he completed his task and Gaara kept the bandages back in the kit.

Then the Hyuuga did something very surprising to him.

It must have been the damned drugs that contributed to her sudden boldness, because Hinata raised a hand, opened her mouth and smoothed the tattoo on his forehead.

"Gaara....." She whispered. "Why love?"

The redhead froze.

No one had really laid a finger (literally) on him before when he was in his adolescent years all the way to high school and now. The only three people who had dared to slap Gaara's back, punch his cheek, sock him in the gut or embrace him were Uzumaki Naruto, Temari and Kankurou. Even then, the only two who had touched his cheek and forehead were his mother and Temari...and now Hinata.

Her hand had slid down the side of his face all the way to his cheek, pale eyes looking at his own green ones. His mind registered her question.

"What do you mean _why_?" He asked hoarsely, voice empty.

Her reference to his tattoo was something she _wouldn't _understand.

"Why not..." The Hyuuga hesitated. "...other kanji?"

He stared at her, the strong gaze making her drop her hand but she persisted with the unbroken eye contact.

"You're prying." He said, tone turning cold.

The Hyuuga's white eyes held denial. "I just - I didn't mean to - "

"Didn't mean to _what_?" His emerald eyes seemed to start pulling up the empty, passive facades he had used so many times, it almost had became a part of him. He got more irritated when her eyes held some sort of glimmer within them, indicating tears. She sure cried easily.

"-make, make you angry," She mumbled.

"You don't need to know." He said coolly. With that, he rose and exited the room.

* * *

Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**9.**

Hinata woke far earlier than she would have liked to, but she felt no desire to continue her sleep - she had been immersed in Gaara's scent and it made her feel as though he had been there all the time; comfort to her really, but she needed to move around to stop thinking so much. Yesterday night's little scenarios were still etched firmly in her mind, and she felt rather...ashamed. Her face burned as she remembered the redhead's parting words to her.

_Why the hell did you make him all touchy feely yesterday?_

Getting out of bed, she pulled open the door silently and headed for the bathroom, only to find the door closed.

Gaara was in _there_ too?

So apparently he had woke early.

The Hyuuga hurried back to her room and closed the door, her heart thumping wildly as she placed an ear to the door. A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened and footsteps were heard. It gradually got fainter, but the Hyuuga waited until she couldn't hear anything and opened the door.

_Why am I hiding anyway_? She asked herself, annoyed. Really!

She stepped quietly into the bathroom, proceeding to brush her teeth and splash water over her face, running her comb through her dark hair afterwards.

_How am I going to face him when I have to be physically attached to his arm later? Oh, look what you've got yourself into...Why did you have to ask him that question?_

Miserably, Hinata placed her comb down and headed for the kitchen downstairs, stopping in her tracks as she saw Gaara checking the fridge. He turned those apple green orbs on her and they locked eyes.

She could only think of two words to say.

"I-I'm s-sorry!"

"So that's your way of saying good morning."

There was a squelch as the door to the fridge closed.

Hinata opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

Silence fell.

"Stop apologising," Gaara finally said, his forehead creasing. He held out an egg. "Breakfast?"

"Uh." The Hyuuga swallowed. "I'll do it." She went down the stairs and took the egg from him as she passed, and he handed her a frying pan.

"Oh! Thanks," She blushed and set it down on the stove. There seemed to be some sort of closure regarding yesterday's conversation, so Hinata tactfully kept her mouth shut about it.

"We're leaving at 5."

"Okay." Hinata cracked the egg. "Uh, Gaara? Could you get me two more eggs?"

The redhead obliged and handed her two more.

"The dress code's formal by the way." He said, searching the cabinets for sachets of tea.

Hinata nodded.

"You look pale," Gaara observed sharply as he got two mugs.

"I feel fine," Hinata reassured him. "Really."

The redhead's cell phone vibrated excitedly in the pocket of his shorts and he flipped it opened, putting the mugs down.

"Gaara," Itachi's calm voice said on the other end.

"Yes." He turned away from the counter, focusing entirely on the conversation.

"Naruto and I will be at the showroom today." The Uchiha said. "Sasuke will not be there, but it will suffice."

"We'll stay connected through the earpieces then." The redhead ran a hand through his hair.

"Agreed. What time will you be arriving?"

"5.30."

"Right. See you."

"Yes."

He ended the call and slipped it back into his shorts, turning abruptly. Black flashed before him and slight yellow, something soft crashing against him.

"S-sorry, Gaara! I am so sorry!"

Hinata had her left hand on his chest, her torso brushing his while her right hand was held away from them, the eggs on the plate relatively safe. The Hyuuga's eyes were scrunched shut, but it didn't stop her from uttering apologies anyway.

She opened her eyes after a few minutes, pupils dilating when she saw her hand on his chest, the consequences of her cheek touching echoing through her mind. Another sorry came flying out of her mouth as she retracted her hand immediately, and Gaara could almost see steam coming out from her collar.

"It's okay." He said, mildly amused. "Just thought you were already familiar with me already."

"I-" She flailed her arms.

"Nevermind." He said, taking the plate of eggs. "Itachi just called to say he and Naruto will be there." The tall redhead headed out of the kitchen as Hinata took over the duty of tea making.

"Oh," Hinata responded.

"Do you need a dress or something?" Gaara asked, appearing at the threshold.

_Maybe he shouldn't wear sleeveless tops, _She thought hazily for a moment. _Especially black ones._

"Uh. No. Dress upstairs." She managed out.

He cast her a strange look. "Do you want to go back to bed?"

"No. No." Hinata waved her hands.

"Okay."

_I bet he's wondering why you're so strange. And stop waving your hands about. Its embarrassing. _

* * *

At 4.00, Hinata slipped into her room to start getting ready. Gaara had left for Kaze after breakfast, but he'd returned home around 3.45 and was now in his own bedroom. Pulling out the black mandarin themed dress, she stepped into it and zipped it up, smoothing it down. It was styled like a cheongsam with small silver embroidered petals joined by pale green lines all over. The hem fell way before her knees and she had kept her hair into a bun with bangs framing her face.

_What would _he_ think?_

Nervously, Hinata closed her eyes and breathed in. Really! This was an assignment! Why did it matter if Gaara thought she looked fugly?

She put on the earpieces in the form of earrings and stepped out with her clutch. At the exact moment, Gaara was exiting the bathroom opposite hers and she felt herself going all warm and dizzy when he got a good look at her. He didn't look bad at all - there were plenty of things a black blazer and a simple white shirt could do to men. Especially when Gaara's tousled hair looked so good to touch. They stared at each other until Hinata herself realised that she was breathing too hard, and backed away a little.

"You're ready?" He asked, pocketing his hand.

"Yes."

"Let's go." He went down and she trailed after him. The redhead surprised her when he pulled the car door open for her - she slipped in and smiled shyly up at him. A corner of his mouth lifted up as he shut the door, moving to the driver's seat. He started the engine, and pressed a button. There was a low droning sound and Hinata realised that the roof of the car was withdrawing backwards, exposing them to the air.

"Oh," Hinata said, turning for a better look, her eyes round. "I forgot that the car could go with its hood down."

Gaara chuckled. "Temari suggested it."

He drove off after they got strapped and Hinata liked the way he drove - one hand on the steering wheel only, while the other lay slack beside him. For a moment, she could almost believed that they were going on a date - a rather romantic one.

"How's the earpieces?" He asked, making a turn as the wind rippled his hair a bit.

"Good to go." She said, tilting her head.

"Can you hear me?"

"Yes."

The redhead drove up to a glass building, where several photographers stood, flashes going off in all directions. The car before them was a white sports car. The driver got out and Hinata saw him do a double take as he stared at the glossy black G5. Gaara had gotten out and pulled open her door, offering her his hand before she stepped out. She took it gratefully and he closed the door behind her as she wrapped her hand round his arm, butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the close contact.

A man in a tuxedo took the car keys from him and got in as the redhead nodded. Allowing him to lead her, Hinata followed him through a pair of glass double doors, her eyes landing on a gray shiny sports car that seemed to be rather typical compared to the vehicle Temari and Kankurou had given life to.

He turned to head to the car which had two beefy looking security guards standing there, but the person standing before him made him stiffened.

_Kiku._

"Gaara," She said in a sultry tone, flashing a smile.

"Kiku," He said calmly. She certainly seemed more sedate now when face to face with him.

"And this is?" She turned her gaze toward Hinata, who held her own. Underneath the too nice smile, there was something not too sincere about it. It turned to mockery a few seconds later as she allowed her brown eyes to run over her dress - Kiku's red gown was nothing short of glamorous and revealing, while Hinata's appeared terribly shabby suddenly.

"Ai. Meet Kiku."

Inwardly startled at Gaara's sudden change in her codename, Hinata managed a sincere smile, reaching out to take Kiku's hand. _Ai? Did it have something to do with his tattoo? _

"Pleasure," Kiku said, smiling.

"Pleasure."

A shadow fell across the woman as Hinata felt the familiar presence of Uchiha Itachi who as ususal, looked dapper in a gray blazer, his long ebony hair tied loosely at the back. Kiku stared up at him as Itachi nodded towards Gaara, filling the area with his presence.

"Gaara san," He said politely, gracing them both with a curt smile that told them he knew everything.

"Itachi san. I believe we need to discuss something?"

Itachi turned to Kiku, a polite smile in place. "If you may excuse us?"

"Oh, yes!" Kiku said, blushing deeply.

"Thank you," Itachi said, tilting his head, inky eyes watching her as she left. "I'm wired up," He said, the moment she was out of earshot. "Naruto's in the restroom. He's not supposed to recognise you guys. No eye contacts."

"Alright." Hinata said. She had forgotten about the blond - somehow or rather, being on Gaara's arm made her forget alot and concentrate on him solely instead.

"If you need us, just call."

"We will." Gaara said, emerald meeting jet black.

"Try and get pass this evening," The Uchiha smirked.

Gaara returned with an equally handsome smirk. "Same to you too."

* * *

Temari and Kankurou arrived half an hour later, both siblings literally _enjoying_ each other's company. Temari hugged Hinata and Kankurou tried not to start criticising when he laid eyes on the sports car.

"I mean c'mon. My G5's the real gem. Uchiha Fugaku stopped me just to ask about it. He saw it when you got out of the car." The dark haired man said, grinning triumphantly.

Hinata smiled at him. She craned her neck a bit, trying to search for the man among the satin gowns and tuxedos, but was unsuccessful.

"Ah! Temari-san!"

_So there he was._

A smile slid up Temari's face as she held her hand out for Kusugi to take. "Masato-san!"

"Evening, evening," He greeted, shaking their hands in turn. When he came to Hinata, his eyes roved her interestingly and he noticed the way Gaara had slipped his arm around her waist.

Masato shot Gaara a look and the redhead returned it with a smirked, as though triumphing over his latest conquest.

"Have you seen the car?" He asked, glancing round at them, eyes gleaming with pride.

"We were just about to," Kankurou said, without missing a beat.

"Well, go on and have a look!" Masato urged. "My design team did their best. I must say, I am pleased with the result. Many people have been eyeing it."

"Well congratulations, Masato-san," Temari said, glancing over at the red vehicle. "It looks snazzy."

"Yes, yes."

"Masato-san, could I have a word with you?" The redhead asked smoothly, releasing Hinata. The older man looked on interestingly at Gaara as he squeezed her hand and bent his head to brush her lips with his, moving away as she blushed and turned to join Temari in a conversation.

"New girl?" He chuckled, looking at Hinata's form as people mingled past them.

"Yeah." Gaara said, mimicking Kusugi. He met the man's smile and Kusugi laughed. "Not bad not bad!"

The redhead tilted his head.

"I know you run an agency for models, Masato-san."

"Mmhmm," Kusugi said keenly, urging him on.

"Its like this. I'll need some models for Kaze's own launch. If you will mind..."

"Ahh...I will be more then happy to supply you with them, Gaara-san!"

"I appreciate that," Gaara said, a pleasing smile on his lips. Both men exchanged namecards, and Gaara pocketed his with much satisfaction. "I will be waiting for your call then," Kusugi said, grinning widely. "Anytime,"

"Of course. See you then." Gaara smirked as he trotted off and returned to Hinata's side, satisfaction coursing through him. "Hey," He murmured into her ear. Startled, she turned and blushed. "Gaara!"

"I'll go to the ladies for a moment." The Hyuuga said, brushing some copper strands of hair out of his eyes in an attempt to look intimate, fingers trembling slightly.

"Yeah," He said. "Be careful."

She slipped away, towards the left pass women with elegant hairstyles and expensive dresses, smoothing her own one self consciously. The restroom was nearly empty, and she didn't have to wait in queue. When she stepped out of the cubicle however, she realised that Kiku was checking her makeup in the mirror by the sink. Her brown eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the Hyuuga.

"Hello Ai," She greeted silkily.

* * *

Thanks!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **And in case you couldn't wait... *Grins. I hope that the two chapters are okay even though I churned them out within the same day.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto nor all of its characters.

* * *

**10.**

Hinata forced her spine ramrod straight and washed her hands, giving a small smile to Kiku. The other woman smirked and turned this way and that to check her dress, tossing a question to Hinata.

"Has Gaara slept with you yet?"

Startled, the Hyuuga swallowed, refraining from widening her eyes. She dug her nails into her palm. "Why does it matter to you?"

Kiku gave her a poisonous smile in the mirror, but ignored her question.

"Try and keep him with you after he has bedded you," She picked up her purse and sashayed out of the ladies. Hinata stared after her, feeling half indignant and half amused. She pitied the woman, disillusioned with the fact that Gaara had been sexually involved with her when in fact, he had merely used her as a tool to manage his appearance.

Hinata strolled out of the restroom sedately, although slightly shakened by Kiku's confrontation. There was no sign of the redhead, so the Hyuuga proceeded to have a closer look at the gleaming car, watching as several men opened the doors and slipped in, running their hands over the dashboard. Hinata smiled when she saw Gaara's reflection on the bonnet and he leaned close to her ear, chin almost touching her shoulder.

"Do you like the car?"

"Its fine," She murmured over her shoulder. "But I do feel that the G5 has my favour."

He laughed and stepped up next to her, his hand on her hip. "You're being biased because you know the driver."

There was a slight cough through the earpiece that sounded a lot like Naruto, but Gaara ignored it.

"No," Hinata protested automatically.

Gaara smirked, his expression taking a 180 degree turn when the sound he least expected to hear echoed through the showroom - a gunshot. Several women screamed while people started running towards the doors. There was a sound of glass shattering, and an 'Oi!' could be heard from the earpiece.

_Naruto._

Five men in black wearing shades armed with rifles were moving together in the middle of the room, several security guards heading for them. The redhead saw the former fanning out in all directions and he started to move away, Hinata mimicking him.

"They're heading for the car," Hinata said tensely.

Gaara stared ahead; one of the men was looking straight at him. He lifted his rifle.

"No." He said tightly. "Not the car."

The redhead took her hand and they ran through the crowd of terrified people, ducking another gunshot was fired. Naruto rounded the corner, nearly crashing into them. As he glanced at them, a fleeting look in his eyes told Gaara grimly that the men were indeed looking for _him - _Several remnants of the Ishikawa Izumo case had apparently came upon them.

"Keep close to me." He told Hinata as he fingered his gun, heading for the exit.

"Yes," The Hyuuga said breathlessly.

"Gaara," Itachi signaled through the earpiece clearly. "Do not head for the exit and front doors. I repeat, _do not_ head for the exit and front doors."

He cursed and Hinata pulled him in the other direction.

"We'll take the stai-"

Several woman and men pushed through them- Gaara's hold on the Hyuuga's hand was loosening gradually.

"Hinata!"

There was another tug and he grasped air. "Head for the stairs," He said into his earpiece, wheeling around.

"Roger." Itachi said. "There's an exit. Watch out for the men there."

"I'll check," Naruto hollered in response.

A blow came his way as Gaara turned but the redhead deflected it and swiped his foot under the legs of the man who had attacked, sending him teetering backwards. Gaara itched to use his gun, but if Kusugi got a glimpse of it, his efforts would go down the drain with a single shot. The man opened fire and thredhead moved backwards, but was too slow- he felt the bullet graze his arm and lodge there, pain searing through him.

Gaara gritted his teeth, sprinting away from the man towards the stairwell, fear gripping his chest as he heard Hinata shriek.

"Hinata," He growled, taking the stairs two at a time, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Head for the stairs!"

"Yes," She gasped as he reached the fourth level in a few seconds.

"GAARA! Get out of there now!" Naruto yelled suddenly from a few levels up. "Go back down!" There was a crunch and a few punches, followed by a different gunshot, this time a stun gun from above.

"Shit!" He swore and turned heel, green eyes directed upwards. Did Naruto fire?

He hadn't got time to gauge because the entire stairwell was plunged into darkness, and he pulled open the door on the second level - the building was pitch black, which meant someone had probably shut off the building's electricity supply.

"Everyone, get out of the building via first level." Naruto reported hurriedly. "If its pitch black, they can't see us."

"Aa," Itachi responded. "I'm on my way."

"Same here." Gaara said curtly, sprinting down the stairs. The redhead could feel blood trickling down his arm, but he ignored it for the moment and halted readily as he saw a figure advancing with something thin and long in his hand.

The redhead removed the safety lock on his own gun, adrenaline rushing through his entire system as the door opened behind him. But he never got to shoot, because the Hyuuga behind him fired - not at him, but at the figure before him.

"Gaara!" Hinata grasped his hand, pale eyes wild.

"Let's go," He pulled her forwards, her heels clacking against the steps as he opened the door and edged past people who were huddled against each other, moving toward the exit.

The redhead slipped quickly through them, Hinata behind him, still in his grasp. She pulled on his arm as they were met with fresh air _and_ two men - one with dark hair, the other an unhealthy purple tinge in his locks.

"Gotcha," He hissed, and Hinata immediately fired at them as she pulled him down, taking cover behind a glossy car. Screams and shrieks were emitted as their attackers fired a few more times, glass shattering above them from the windows. Another bullet wedged itself in the metal of the car. The Hyuuga noticed that Gaara's actions were getting sluggish by the minute and she caught sight of the dark red stain on his arm as well as the tear, heart clenching.

"Stay here-" She moved around the fender and aimed at purple haired, missing him again. She moved further and fired at his shoulder, hitting him squarely.

Whirling, she found the dark haired man standing over Gaara, the latter's gun aimed at him with one hand while he held a gleaming knife at his throat. Stepping hard on the redhead's injured arm, he laughed as the agent clenched his teeth and bit back a yell, his gun dropping. He raised the knife and brought it down-

_There was a loud yell, a flash of silver as the redhead cried out in pain, one hand reaching for his mother._

Gaara shut his eyes as he experienced an unusually large wave of fear washing over him, fists clenched.

The knife never came, but he felt pressure on his chest and opened his eyes, breathing hard.

Hinata's torso was over his, her hand lowering the stun gun as the man crumpled. Blood rushed to the Hyuuga's head as her heart banged against her ribcage, crying for both herself and Gaara.

"Gaara!"

Hinata glanced upwards.

Naruto was crouched ontop of the roof of the car, peering worriedly down at them. She hadn't got time to gawk at Naruto however. "Gaara!" The Hyuuga cupped his cheek as her knees scraped on the uneven asphalt, terror rising.

"He's shot. Get him up Naruto." Itachi's voice swam behind her head hazily.

"You don't need to tell me," The Uzumaki leapt down and landed beside them.

The dark haired man picked up his wounded arm and pulled him up while the blond took the other side. "Hinata. Call for an ambulance and the police."

"Hai," She flipped open her cell phone with trembling fingers, almost dropping the phone and placed a call through.

"They've already sent three ambulances dow-"

Her voice was drowned out by the police sirens as a navy blue van leading three police cars pulled up with a screech. Officers in black bulletproof vests ran past them and into the pitch black showroom, electric torches lighting up the area.

"I shut down the electricity," Itachi threw over his shoulder as one of them nodded.

"Uchih-sama!" A middle aged policeman hurried forwards.

"He's been shot," The older man rasped. "Get the medics here _now_."

"Hai!"

As though taking their cue, an ambulance drove up and several paramedics hopped out with a stretcher, three making their way to Gaara as they loaded him up. The next ambulance drove up behind the first one, more medics appearing. There was some sort of frenzy to get to the ambulance, Hinata discovered as she stood there in a daze. People were rushing about, crying, as wounded people in their evening wear were being wheeled into the ambulance.

"Hinata," Naruto said gently as he gripped her elbow. "Come."

The Hyuuga hurried with him into the ambulance, her thoughts in a whirl. Gaara had been stripped of his shirt and blazer, a device to help him breathe over his mouth as the medics slammed the door shut and hopped onto the small seat beside the stretcher as the vehicle lurched forward.

"Gaara, are you alright?" She stroked his cheek, grasping his hand as Naruto watched on quietly. The dark haired woman half knelt beside him. The redhead didn't response however, although his eyes were half lidded. Blood was flowing like a river from his arm, where she caught a distinct silver.

"Miss," A lady with short dark hair who was sitting beside her spoke up. Hinata herself hadn't noticed the medic until now. "Your knees are scraped, and your palm's been slit. He'll be alright." She coaxed. "Why don't you lean back while I attend to those wounds?"

"But-"

"He'll be fine," A male medic said, who was checking Gaara's temperature. "We need to get to the hospital to take the bullet out. Its too deep in."

"Hinata," Naruto said firmly, pulling her back. The blond made her look into his blue eyes.

"He'll be alive and kicking. I promise you."

* * *

"...Ishikawa's henchmen?"

"Iie. More likely another person in charge of him. Got a bit mad at us for taking him out. Tsunade didn't mentioned about his boss or anything."

Hinata pulled herself up slowly, a stinging ache arousing on her knees. She winced as she applied pressure to her palm and turned it over. It had been bandaged. All around her were green curtains and a small monitor beeped quietly at a corner. It was linked to a gray device on her index finger. She fell back against the pillows, an urge to sleep overpowering her again.

Naruto and Itachi were apparently outside 'guarding' her. Hinata had a gut feeling that Naruto knew she would want to check on Gaara, and had probably stationed himself there along with the Uchiha to prevent her from moving around.

The curtains parted and Naruto's face poked in. He grinned.

"You're up, Hinata! How are you feeling?"

In normal circumstances, she would have been hyperventilating and blushing madly, but all she could think of was a certain redhead.

"I'm fine," She answered. Itachi appeared as he drew the curtains - there was a medium sized plaster on his arm, his long sleeves rolled up. "Itachi-san, are you alright?"

"Just a scratch," He said reassuringly.

"Where- where's Gaara?"

Naruto cast a glance over at the taller Uchiha as if to tell him _I told you so_.

"In the operating theatre." The blond replied, blue eyes dimming.

"Don't worry Hinata." Itachi spoke. "Its just a bullet wound. Do you feel giddy or nauseous? Pain?"

"No,"

He nodded. "Rest well then. As far as I know, Gaara's cover and yours hasn't been blown. Kusugi called me to check on Gaara. He sounded worried."

Hinata nodded rapidly.

"Ishikawa's boss was apparently trying to make a dig at us. He found out who conducted the arrest on Ishikawa and sent some men over in hopes of getting an agent to question.

"Well he failed." The Uzumaki responded. "Tsunade's been informed. There's pretty tight security now."

"Rest well." Itachi said, black eyes meeting hers.

"Yeah. Do you want us to get ramen or something?"

The Uchiha snorted.

"I'm fine, Naruto," She blushed. "Its alright. You two should probably get some rest too."

"We will." Naruto said, raising a hand. "See you then, Hinata."

"'Bye,"

Itachi nodded.

She watched their retreating backs, and glanced down at herself. She had been a mess! Her hair fell around her shoulders and she was still in her dress. But it seemed that she didn't mind if Naruto saw her like this.

"Excuse me," She called to a nurse who happened to walk past. The lady stopped and greeted her with a warm smile.

"Darling, how are you?" She asked as she glanced at her clipboard.

"I'm good," The Hyuuga said quickly. "Can you let me know if the man who has undergone an operation to remove the bullet comes out?"

"Alright," The nurse agreed. "Sabaku Gaara is it?"

"Yes,"

"Sure thing. Get some rest too my dear."

* * *

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Kusugi snarled into his mobile while pacing in his apartment, his tie hanging round his neck, pathethically ripped. Anger boiled like hot soup over extreme fire, frustrated that his launch had been a failure.

"Simmer down," An oily voice said at the other end. "Argon took out Izumo for me, and you do know how reliable my drug lord has been. They've made me lose millions."

"That doesn't make sense." The automaker snapped. "Why did you have to sent your men down to _my_ launch and make trouble? I thought you always had _good _timing."

"You're not getting my drift aren't you?"

"Get on with it," Kusugi hissed.

"I spotted agents at the showroom, Masato,"

"_So_?"

"So?" The man answered shrilly. "So? Don't tell me you haven't been doing anything far from holy?"

"I_ know_ what I have I done. But they won't get evidence."

"You're an idiot. Money is not everything, and neither is blackmailing terrifying anymore. Argon's been on you since last year, and this year, they sent agents down to dig evidence out. I must say they're doing pretty well."

"What do you mean?" Kusugi's muscles tensed.

"We're eyeing the same agents, Masato,"

* * *

Thanks


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS, PEOPLE!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto nor its characters.

* * *

**11.**

A good 3 hours later, Hinata was perched beside Gaara's bed, watching him as he slept on. The doctor had said he wouldn't come round for a few minutes or so, but just the sight of him made her feel reassured and quelled the uneasiness in her.

She lifted a hand slowly, brushing red strands away neatly.

Did she _like_ him?

She didn't know.

So far, they hadn't embarked on anything romantic or close to that for that matter. Hinata had been doing her work all along, as was he. That notorious kiss was just something passing, she thought, slightly bitter. She turned away from the redhead, eyes closed.

_Well he did save you once..._

Confused, the Hyuuga opened them again, as though it would help her see something.

"Hn..mm.."

Hinata turned quickly as the redhead's jade eyes stared back at her hazily, sending her pulse racing.

"Hi," She said, smiling nervously.

"Hi," He responded throatily, gazing at her.

"How do you feel?" Hinata said softly, concerned.

"Good," He responded, coughing slightly.

She smiled, white eyes shy suddenly. Her cheeks heated up as he stared deeper into her eyes. There was something odd about the green shade of his eyes, something foreign in there.

"It was lodged in pretty deep," She informed him to break the silence.

"Hm," Gaara replied, looking up at her. He continued to maintain eye contact, but she didn't know quite what to say.

"This is the first time I see you really using a gun," The redhead commented, leaning into his stacked up pillows.

"Well the situation called for it." Hinata blushed.

The door chose to swing open at that moment, interrupting the light atmosphere in the room.

"You're _up_?" The nurse asked incredulously.

"Yes." He said, tearing his eyes away from Hinata's.

The nurse shook her head and checked the clipboard hanging at the end of his bed, raising her eyebrows. "You have good stamina." She ticked something and then proceeded to take his temperature.

"Hm. 38.5. Not very good."

The Hyuuga cast a worried glance at her partner.

"You'll probably be in here for a week," She said, checking his pupils with her mini torchlight.

"A week," Gaara closed his eyes.

"Yes. Are you hungry? We can serve you now if you like."

"Please do that," Hinata said, smiling at the nurse.

"Yes. It'd be better if you have food in your stomach. Alright then. Rest well." She disappeared as the door swung close behind her. Gaara cast the Hyuuga an amused look.

"How do you know that I'm hungry?"

"I didn't know," She said, one hand unconsciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Really," He remarked. His eyes dropped to her knees, then her hand.

"You're not so good yourself."

"Those are scratches," The Hyuuga replied, glancing at them.

They sunk into another staring contest again, and Hinata belatedly wondered how his green eyes could look so beautiful. She gulped, racking her brain for a distraction.

"Uh, Itachi and Naruto reckoned that Ishikawa Izumo's boss wanted to get back at us for taking away his main drug supplier." She started, realising a few minutes later that she was whispering. Blushing heatedly, she fidgeted with her fingers.

"His boss.." Gaara' eyes darted to his IV tube and he thought hard.

"They didn't name any names," She said hesitantly.

"Which means they haven't got any," The redhead shifted, a crease appearing in his forehead. "We didn't even know he had someone over him."

"I think..." Hinata trailed off, looking at him. "I think you should let it drop," She said gathering courage, placing her hand on the railing of the bed. "You should be resting now."

He allowed a very slight smile to surface on his features.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes," She replied, feeling rather pleased that he had asked her that.

Gesturing awkwardly, she asked him again. "Do you want me to bring anything?"

"Just my laptop if you can handle."

"Okay."

Silence stretched between them.

"I'll be going then," She hedged softly.

"Yeah. Be careful."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

A clear, thick plastic bag containing a black glossy cell phone that had a cracked LCD screen in the front slid sideways as Kurenai came to a stop in front of a door with a 'No Entry' sign on it. The svelte woman lifted a hand and placed it on the handle, wondering if she had any chance of-

The door swung opened and she was immediately greeted by a yawn.

"You came back," Shikamaru said grinning, peering at the bag Kurenai had got while he tilted his lanky frame.

She smiled tiredly. "Last minute errand." The dark haired woman stepped in as he allowed her to enter, pushing the door shut.

"Aw," The Nara responded, giving her a lazy smile. " I've been going through some technical stuff here with our firearms - can we shoot it this way and that blah blah blah, since 3.30. Putting my one foot into Resource was a big mistake huh?"

"Mistake for you, but not to us," Kurenai walked past rows of lab desks, almost emptied except for a few blue clad people sitting alone and working on little pieces of glass that held several liquids on them.

"So what have you got?" Shikamaru asked, his stud catching a glint off the dim lights as he cocked his head. He decided to tag along.

"A cell phone from the Konoha showroom scene belonging to one of the armed men. Tried to make off with our agents. Kakashi wants to know if it can tell us who the men worked for. Of all the 5, three are dead, one refuses to say anything, while the other's been stunned."

The younger agent raised his eyebrows.

They reached a wall with another door, this time without the same sign, although it had an ID scanner in place of the doorknob.

Kurenai reached into her jeans pocket but she stopped when Shikamaru held up his own ID and slid it neatly into the scanner.

"Thanks," Kurenai's crimson eyes crinkled.

"No prob."

The door slid opened and they stepped through a facsimile of the same room they had passed through earlier. This time, there were more lab testers littered about, talking to each other. Kurenai spotted Kiba and Ino listening with rapt attention to a young man with spectacles as he held up a piece of cloth and gestured wildly.

Shikamaru suggested Shiranui Genma, whose trademark long toothpick was still stuck between the jaws of his teeth as he put away several equipment, humming.

"Genma," She said, reaching his desk.

"Kurenai. Shikamaru," He greeted. "What can I dissect for you?" He grinned, raising an eyebrow which almost diasppeared behind his dark coloured bandanna.

"I just need you to identify the phone and get it to tell us some thing." She slid the bag across the table toward him while Shikamaru leaned his hip against the table and watched.

Genma pulled the bag open with his gloved hands and dropped the cell on the table over another clear plastic.

"Hm..." He watched the phone carefully, turning it backwards. "A bullet went through it, but got stuck." He got a pair of lethal looking but slender tongs and tried to dislodge the bullet, the round metal of it gleaming back at them under the lights. Cracking a side of the phone neatly, he opened up the mobile and wedged the silver guy out. After a few attempts, he succeeded as the bullet clanked its way on the table.

"Ours," Shikamaru remarked, inspecting it closely.

"Mmhm." Genma agreed as he clacked the mobile back together. "Someone missed."

He picked the phone up again and held it close his eyes, turning it with his hands very slowly.

"I'll need to do a scan. You can follow me if you want." Kurenai did and Shikamaru trailed behind her. They stopped at what seemed like a miniature tunnel the kind kids played with toy railway trains and stuff, only perhaps that it was slightly bigger. Several blue and green buttons dotted the side of a flatter and more angular surface, signalling the place to slid the damaged phone in. Genma bent and tucked it in neatly, pressing several buttons as he did, and a screen flared to life above the tunnel.

"Okay...." He pressed a green button and there was a low sound and then beeping. The screen revealed a model of the phone drawn in blue lines, and then started piecing the crack together on its screen.

There were several numbers and contacts coming up, although it was blurred and flickered like an illusion.

"That's the furthest we can do to bring the phone back to life after its been shot." He joked.

"Can you give us the list of contacts in the phone as well as messages sent?" Kurenai moved forward.

"Yeah, sure. Hang on."

He pressed several times on the screen, and went to a printer as it chugged out the details.

"There are 5 contacts there." Shikamaru peered over the older woman's shoulder. "Mustn't be a personal phone."

"Mm..." Kurenai looked up at Genma. "What about message inbox?"

"Nothing there."

"_What_?"

"Nothing. There's nothing there." The man stared up at the screen. "I'll check the outbox." There was silence.

"Nothing either."

Kurenai sighed and pressed her fingers to her forehead. "That was the only mobile which didn't come apart like a mangled toy."

"Maybe they knew we would get on to them. You still have three leads. The stunned guy, the one who wants to keep his mouth shut and 5 contacts."

"We sent the second guy over to Morino Ibiki's team."

"Ouch." Genma winced.

"So Kakashi should be hearing good news at least." Shikamaru reasoned, fingering his ear lobe.

"Yeah. I'll send these contacts over to investigation then. Thanks Genma."

"Anytime." He hand the plactis bag and the phone to her.

Genma walked them out and Shikamaru yawned as the door closed behind them again.

"Thanks then, Shikamaru. Merry Christmas." Kurenai said before they parted.

"No prob." He lifted the corner of his mouth. "And I don't think I'll be having a Merry Christmas though. More like Bloody Christmas."

* * *

"Yo yo yo!" Naruto swung the door to the hospital open gallantly, his blue eyes sparkling as Hinata followed behind him the next morning, clutching a bunch of white lilies and in the other hand, Gaara's laptop bag.

The sight that met him wasn't what he expected though. The bed was empty, bedsheets rumpled and the IV tube hung from the bed, giving the impression that it had been pulled out ruthlessly and quickly.

There was no sign of Gaara.

His smile diasppeared completely.

"N-Naruto?" Hinata murmured. He was behaving strangely. The Hyuuga rose on her toes, and her eyes widened.

"Shit!" He half yelled, walking further into the room. "_Gaara_!"

"Where_ is_ he?" Hinata asked, slight panic creeping into her tone.

"Not here definitely," Naruto said worriedly as he wrenched the restroom door opened. Striding past Hinata and out into the hallway, he called for a nurse, who came rushing in.

"Dear heavens!" She said shrilly.

"Where _is_ he?" The blonde demanded.

"I would like to know that as well,"

Hinata whirled, surprise rising. She recognised that voice anywhere. Tsunade strode towards them, Mitarashi Anko and Hatake Kakashi flanking her.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked sharply as he registered their presence.

"The guy we took back with us yesterday confessed. He dropped a name." Kakashi said slowly, as though he didn't like to be in this situation at all, much less face an enraged Naruto.

"It was Gaara he named." Anko said quietly.

"Don't be idiots," Naruto snarled. "Just because he said Gaara, you pinpoint him at once,"

Hinata froze, watching the tight conversation. She had never seen the Uzumaki more angry.

"It wasn't at once," Tsunade spoke tightly. "We checked his bank account. A large sum of money got deposited in it. We can't contact Temari or Kankurou, and now, we find Gaara missing. What do you think we'll do?"

Naruto slammed his fist against the wall and snapped.

"_He_ wouldn't do that,"

"Hinata." Tsunade ignored him, her rich hazel eyes concentrated on her alone. "We need you to cooperate."

* * *

Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **I hope I handled this well enough, and answered questions. Chapter sounds a bit cliched though, hm?

Please take note that I didn't write a full detail on the investigation with Hinata, so yeah. Thanks for the reviews. :D

**Disclaimer**: Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**12.**

Hinata watched giddily as Kakashi and Anko muttered to each other, and Anko shook her head fervently at something the light haired man suggested.

"There's no need for _him_," The dark haired woman said softly. It seemed surreal to see Anko speak softly. After all, the softest she had gotten was when she yelled at the rookies.

Kakashi nodded, just as Kurenai stepped into the brightly lit interrogation room. The woman gave Hinata a warm smile and she gripped her shoulder.

"It's alright. Just tell us everything you know."

Hinata wasn't planning to keep anything from them though. It wasn't in her nature to lie. Even if she did cover up, there eventually would be some loophole Kakashi or Anko would point out due to her obvious inexperience with lying. Naruto had actually hugged her before she went into the interrogation room, and told her that he believed she would help Gaara clear his name.

"We're counting on you," Naruto said, blue eyes dim.

The Hyuuga herself stood at the same side with Naruto. She knew Gaara wouldn't do that. A man like him...it wasn't possible. And she would do whatever was in her power, no matter how small, to help the handsome redhead. When Tsunade suggested that Gaara had betrayed them, it had sent her reeling in shock at the hospital. A part of her questioned his actions along the way back to Argon, but she couldn't doubt them...not when he did not look liked he was working with Kusugi or anyone. If his actions fitted right into the picture that illustrated his betrayal, she would do her best to find reasons for them. After all, it could be sheer coincidence, which untimely presence did them no good. Gaara didn't look like the sort who took orders. He belonged to the type who_ gave_ orders.

_You sound like you're not trying to believe he did really turn his back on us._

There was a slight scraping sound as Kakashi and Anko sat before her while Kurenai positioned herself in the corner of the room facing Hinata.

"Hinata, we'll start now," Anko smiled at her reassuringly.

She nodded.

"According to Yuzuki Eiji, one of the intruders at the launch, he revealed that he was the supposed messenger for Kusugi Masato and Sabaku Gaara. It wasn't until later that they met face to face at the beach photoshoot and Eiji wasn't needed from there, because they could contact each other. Was it why he ripped his earpiece out, Hinata? To not let you hear it?" Kakashi asked as he watched her with his one eye.

"It wasn't that." The Hyuuga said, looking at the light haired man, her voice quavering slightly. "After the the photo shoot, I went back to our house because there was a robbery and I got a cut in the process of defending a girl."

"You said 'our house'," Anko queried. "Is there something else besides your otherwise mutual relationship?"

"Nothing happened between us," Hinata replied softly.

Kakashi nodded and jotted down something.

"So you went back." The older agent said. "And we have Gaara still with Kusugi."

"Yes. If y-you check the camera given to us for this assignment, it would show you that Kusugi wanted a go at his car. I believe it would still be in his laptop. I supposed he ripped out the earpiece because he suspected Kusugi doubted him. When he arrived home, he told me that his car had been installed with a tracking device, probably by Kusugi. It was perhaps the reason why he would destroy contact with me."

"Okay." Anko said, nodding her head, making her ponytail bounce eagerly. "So we have evidence for that. Any idea why he would betray Argon?"

"No. It isn't l-likely." She answered, fingering her hands. "I - There was once, he went out on a date with a model for undercover purposes. Her name was Kiku. He made her tipsy," The Hyuuga said, feeling a smile coming on. "He drove her home after that, but he didn't do anything to her. You can probably witness that on his laptop too, because we downloaded the cameras after each live video."

"Did you see the whole affair after he drove the model home?" Kakashi asked. Hinata wasn't sure if he was joking or really just following protocol, but you never knew what went on behind Kakashi's mask.

Anko sent him a look and he shrugged.

"I didn't," she answered honestly. "But I am very sure the camera got it down. This gesture," She took a deep breath. "This gesture can show that Gaara wouldn't do anything behind our backs though, even if he gained something from it. The model assumed he had bedded her, but in fact, he didn't."

"How do you know...er," Kakashi glanced down. "_Kiku_ assumed that he had spent a night with her?"

"Gaara requested to meet me at the apartment T-Tsunade had given us on the same night. He arrived at around 10.50. The next morning, he received a phone call from Kiku, who wanted to know where he had gone after spending the night. Gaara told her that someone tried to steal his car and he had to hurry off, which was a lie made on the spot. Kankurou and Temari were there as well. I didn't personally see him not doing anything, but I believe it was captured on camera."

"Mm hmm."

"He also told me the password for his laptop," Hinata offered. "I feel that if he wanted to- to keep something from me, he wouldn't have done that. It would have been risky."

Anko nodded slowly.

* * *

Tsunade watched Hinata talk through the one way window as Naruto stood rigidly beside her, his fists clenched.

She hadn't given orders to freeze Gaara's bank account, because it would definitely alert them when he did withdraw money. And should he enter the surrounding nations, Tsunade would be contacted immediately. The blonde knew Naruto didn't like the way she handled Gaara, but that was protocol, and exactly what the head of Argon should do.

Kurenai exited the room and entered on their side, nodding at Naruto.

"From the looks of it," The dark haired woman said, crimson eyes meeting hazel. "Hinata doesn't seem to be covering up for anything. I've been through women who lie without batting an eyelash, but Hinata knows that when she lies, its obvious. She should still be in there for the next hour or so." The last statement was directed at Naruto.

Naruto nodded.

"I need someone to check Gaara's laptop now. Naruto, perhaps you would like to do something to keep your mind off the current situation?"

The tall blonde nodded silently and followed as Kurenai left, leaving Tsunade to observe the Hyuuga.

* * *

Gaara blinked once as the ruffled white ceiling above him shifted, as though quivering. He blinked again. This time, a sharp pain rose quietly up his arm, and somewhere in his mind, sleep was pulling him back to slumberland.

Where the hell was he?

He shut his jade orbs and gathered his thoughts calmly. Hinata had visited him in the hospital, scratches and all. She had left afterwards, and he ate his dinner and dozed off...

...then after that _what_?

His eyes remained shut.

Not a speck of awareness as to what had happened after he slept filtered through his mind.

The redhead reopened his eyes. This time, the ceiling stayed exactly where it was, and he propped himself up on his right elbow, blood rushing to his head rapidly. Ignoring it blatantly, he succeeded in getting up and his gaze focused on his surroundings. Dirty white walls surrounded him; two were rectangular in shape while the other two were squarish, with a line down the middle that suggested doors.

_I'm in a cargo container._

Gaara didn't panic. If you started running around like a headless chicken and screaming your lungs out, then you'd be gasping for breath in several minutes and then there was the thirst factor to consider and the limited amount of oxygen available. He leaned against one of the walls, and contemplated hard.

Someone had obviously abducted him from the hospital. Why hadn't anyone seen him? And Hinata was probably facing an empty hospital ward right now.

The redhead checked his pockets (he was still in the clothes the hospital had provided), knowing very well nothing would be there. And he was right.

Scarlet stains and a minute hole on his left hand confirmed that his IV tube had been ripped out too.

He thought again.

It could be possible...that Kusugi Masato had seen through him. After all, no ordinary woman was able to handle a stun gun with familiarity like Hyuuga Hinata.

And those armed men. They were probably Izumo-connected.

There was a loud screech from outside the square walls, as though someone was unlocking the door.

Gaara stiffened, his jade eyes set as the doors opened.

* * *

"There, there! Hinata's right!"

Naruto jabbed hard at the laptop screen, making it shiver under his index finger as Itachi cast him an amused look. The two had been going at the videos in Gaara's laptop non stop, as though it was a movie marathon. A detailed report from Kakashi accompanied Itachi on another sleeker computer, its screen facing them as well. Occasionally, Kurenai would give them the latest report coming out of the interrogation room.

"I can see that, Naruto. Move your finger away."

The blonde removed it and watched from the view of a button on Gaara's shirt as he heaved an unconscious woman onto a bed and started stripping her.

"Holy shit." Naruto stared as Itachi pressed several keys, his fingers moving deftly over the mousepad. A few seconds later, the video had been thoroughly censored.

"Aw, Itachi.." He muttered. The Uchiha remained passive as he stared at the video with rapt attention. Then his black eyes darted to the report.

"Hinata's report fits."

"Of course." Naruto huffed as Gaara tucked the brunette in bed and started to move away from the room. The entire video ran on, and the older Uchiha couldn't see any loopholes. Hinata's statements matched the video like a puzzle.

"Next one." Naruto said eagerly, moving as the chair he was sitting in creaked.

They completed the videos rapidly, both agents on alert at the point when Gaara supposedly ripped out his earpiece. It flowed into a harmless test drive for Kusugi, and both men returned to the beach thereafter.

"Alriiiiight.." The Uzumaki muttered.

An hour later, Itachi pushed through the doors of Tsunade's office, his report in one hand, Kakashi's report in the other with Naruto beside him.

"Fits like a puzzle."

* * *

His senses heightening with each second, Gaara stood up, his jade eyes sharp, but lacking its usual alertness due to the unknown drug he had been given.

A figure stepped in, and from its physique, he guessed that it had to be Kusugi Masato. Then another person entered as well, his resemblance strong to the former man. Two more bulkier and well built men lumbered in, blocking out sunlight. They approached him swiftly, but Gaara made an attempt to block their moves. Something hard was shoved into his head, and a pair of strong hands gripped his left arm, pressing deeply into his wound.

He gritted his teeth.

He could tell that it was the barrel of a gun pointed at his head.

Emerald eyes narrowed as the figures moved.

Two facsimiles of Kusugi Masato stood before him, one smirking, a hand in his the pocket of his slacks while the Kusugi on the left watched him warily. Their supposed bodyguards flanked them, their stances intimidating, but it did not leave much of an imprint on Gaara.

"Sabaku Gaara," Masato said, his eyes narrowed. "I see you're awake."

_The one the left was Masato._

"Had a nice sleep?" The other asked.

The redhead was a hundred per cent positive that it wasn't the drugs, it wasn't the lack of oxygen, illusion, blurred vision or anything that contributed to the scenario.

For instance, the two men were dressed in different clothes. Next, the second Kusugi had a deeper tone. Gaara didn't respond to the earlier question.

"Where am I?"

"That's a difficult question." The other Kusugi spoke. Masato interrupted.

"Are you an _agent_?"

Allowing a small smirk to surface, Gaara didn't reply. His mind however, was working as fast as the drugs could allow him. If the Masato look alike had something to do with this, then Ishikawa Izumo had some sort of connection with him. But why hadn't he come across another Kusugi in the file?

"Answer _me_!" Masato snarled.

The safety lock on the gun slid back smoothly.

* * *

Tsunade flipped open Itachi's filed report, her eyes scanning the words rapidly.

She looked up.

The Uchiha stared pointedly at her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Naruto snorted. "Have you located Gaara?"

"No."

"_What_?"

"Naruto, we _are_ searching for him," Tsunade said heatedly. "I didn't know you had such a poor idea of _me._ If your reports show Gaara is clear, then I can only believe them, can't I? As for the money, he hasn't touched a single cent, and Konoha's airports haven't seen him leave the country. I haven't-"

The phone rang.

"Hello?..._Temari_....Yes, yes, I have sent a team already. Okay. Okay. We'll find him. Don't worry. The account? No he hasn't......Bye."

"Temari and Kankurou are in Suna," Tsunade rubbed her forehead. "She's taking the earliest flight back to Leaf."

"They've been working with Argon for nearly a decade." Itachi spoke up. "It should have then dawned on us if they were planted in Argon. Gaara has nothing to gain, because he knows how Argon operates. We'll be keeping an eye on his bank account. Working for Kusugi doesn't seem such an appealing idea, especially when his sister and brother heads a car company. There are other factors, but it is unlikely Gaara is willing to be given orders by such people."

* * *

"No." The redhead replied after what seemed like an eternity.

"Really?" The other Kusugi asked, a lazy smile creeping up. "We know everything, Sabaku Gaara."

"Then believe what you want."

He spat at the foot of Masato and gnashed his teeth.

Fingers gripped his chin as he was forced to look up into his target's how things turned out. Now he was the damned target.

"You say you're no agent. But my brother identifies you as an agent." Masato jerked his head toward the man.

_Twins. They are twins._

"That's too bad," Gaara managed a dark smile. "Masato-san."

Something hard and fleshy whacked into his abdomen, making him double over as pain filled his entire body. There were more punches given to his torso, and then there was a gunshot.

Masato had shot him in the arm, exactly at the wound he was recovering from. Blood gushed out as he saw bright light and fell to the ground. He could hear someone yelling, and realised that _he_ was the one yelling. The pain from yesterday was multiplied by a hundred fold, sweat coursing down his forehead, past his cheek, onto his chin, and dripped off to the ground. Voices swam over his head as heavy footsteps echoed near him.

There was a loud clanging sound and then the entire container became dark again.

* * *

Thanks!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Heh, I knew chapter 12 _is_ anticlimatic. :P Sorry to disappoint if you wanted Gaara to be badass...LOL. I have a bad habit of making things anticlimatic. But I want to reassure and promise you guys that there _will _be GaaHina _action_. Soon. Very soon. Hang in there please!

I am bad at making strategic plans to rescue hostages and writing about investigations. Pardon if you spot any flaws! I appreciate for your patience with this story, although I must say it isn't such a great one. But nevermind. This story isn't ending too soon though. We still have another hurdle besides this. XD.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**13.**

Sasuke, Kiba, Itachi, and Naruto made up the new team Tsunade had tasked to find Gaara, after Rock Lee, Tenten and Raidou had done checks at the hospital, interviewing nurses and doctors who had worked the night shift. They had ended up with practically nothing, except a nurse who claimed that a doctor she couldn't identify had entered Gaara's room to give him a jab. It did nothing to comfort Naruto or Hinata, the latter whom was close to tears. Hyuuga Neji himself had dropped in to Tsunade's office earlier, coolly demanding to know where his cousin was.

"Interrogation room number 8," Tsunade said, watching him. He left without a word of thanks.

The four men she had assigned now stood before her, a certain canine sitting quietly at his feet in front of Kiba.

"Alright-"

Tsunade snatched the phone on its first ring at once.

"Hello?"

Her eyes narrowed after a few seconds. She pressed a button and then a voice could be heard throughout the room. Gesturing to Naruto, she placed a finger on her lips, warning in her eyes.

"...it would be a pity to let his talents go to waste, wouldn't it? He's been very helpful."

"Where is Gaara?" Tsunade asked, hazel eyes steely.

"Oh, with Argon's numerous gadgets for tracking, I think you will succeed in that area."

Naruto started forward, but Sasuke grabbed his wrist and snarled quietly at him.

"Meanwhile though, I would suggest something more agreeable between us. In exchange for your agent, you give me Ishikawa Izumo."

"N-"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed sharply. _Ishikawa Izumo?_

Kiba's hand went over Naruto's mouth, his muscles contracting as he shook Naruto hard.

"How do I know that it won't be a dead body I am collecting?" Tsunade asked crisply, hiding her surprise.

"You trusted _Sabaku_, so I don't see why you shouldn't trust me." The voice retorted. "Your agent is well alive. I'm sure you know where Konoha stores our cargo containers, don't you? I want to see Ishikawa there by 6.00. No more than four agents, or your redhead will die."

The line went dead.

"OI!" Naruto roared, breaking free of the Inuzuka. He slammed his fists on Tsunade's desk, sending files slipping off the table. Tsunade grabbed his collar in response, veins protruding from her arm.

"If you don't act calmly and listen," She managed out through gritted teeth, "I will not allow you to rescue Gaara. _Do you hear me_?"

Naruto stared furiously back.

"_Do you hear me_?"

"Yes," He broke out, grinding his teeth.

The blonde released him, and she turned to Itachi, Kiba and Sasuke.

"The way the man said it," Kiba started. "Its like Gaara- Gaara _did_ say something."

Naruto's chest heaved.

"That was Kusugi Masato on the line just now." Tsuande confirmed, eyes sweeping over her agents. There was silence in the room, as though served for the purpose of deciding if Gaara was really a traitor - believe the reports or Kusugi himself?

"Just get him back." Tsunade covered her eyes with her hands.

"We're letting Ishikawa go? Can't we have someone as a double?" Kiba asked, brown eyes dark. "And what has Ishikawa got to do with this?"

Tsunade braced herself against her desk, leaning against the ledge, mouth set in a grim looking line. Two voices spoke up at the same time.

"Kusugi had-"

"Kusugi-"

Sasuke and his brother looked over at each other.

Itachi tilted his head.

"You first, Sasuke."

The dark haired man nodded.

"Kusugi probably has something to do with him. Ishikawa seemes valuable to Kusugi, and it is probable he is in charge of Ishikawa." Jamming his hand into his jeans, he fixed his stare on Tsunade. "That's all I've got."

"Itachi?"

"I agree with Sasuke." He said simply.

"You mean..." Naruto started. "You mean Kusugi has a part in the entire drug business?"

"Mm." Tsunade glanced at Naruto.

"So we get the skin and drug business rolled into one man." The Inuzuka ran a hand through his hair. The Uzumaki stared at him.

"And we have Gaara, there too..." Naruto's eyes lit up. "Teme! Itachi! Kiba!"

"What?" Kiba asked.

Sasuke stared at him, and Itachi shifted casually.

"The three of them." Naruto breathed. "At the same place. With _us_."

"Naruto's right," The older Uchiha allowed a small small to momentarily appear. Sasuke's forehead creased while Kiba stared blankly at them. Tsunade bowed her head and smiled as her bangs fell forward.

"Wait." Kiba's eyes darted around. "Explain."

* * *

Hinata sat shivering on a chair in the interrogation room while she gripped a piece of tissue, tears slipping smoothly down her cheeks. She was alone, for Kakashi and Anko had completed their investigations. It was only now that she dared to cry, to break down so terribly that she feared her heart would stop beating from grief.

Some agent she was. Was crying the only thing she could do to save Gaara?

_You should be doing more. _A snide little voice snickered.

Hinata stood up blindly. She'd heard that Gaara would be traded for Ishikawa Izumo, the man they had played a part in capturing from Naruto earlier.

Hiccuping as she made her way to the door, it swung open even before she reached it and Neji appeared.

"_Hinata_,"

He moved forward and she grabbed his shirt. "N-Neji-hic-, Ne-ji, please let m-me, -hic, f-find G-Gaa-hic- ra too."

"Hinata, _sit down_." Neji propelled her backwards and with his hands on her shoulders, pushed her down back into the chair. "Tsunade's employed a team. Naruto's in it. And you cannot leave unless she says so." The Hyuuga bent, his ebony hair slipping over one shoulder while he stared his cousin in the eyes.

"N-Neji, p-plea-hic-se!"

She must have been an awful sight, bawling like a baby while she stuttered her way through her pleas. It seemed as though it had been _years_ since she'd laid eyes on Gaara.

"Hinata, stop. _Stop_. Naruto will get him back. Listen, you cannot join the team, because you have been interrogated and it is likely they will need you again. You can only wait."

There was a sudden movement, and Neji found his cousin with her arms around his neck.

"N-Neji-hic-, N-Neji, I-"

"Hinata," He said gently, one hand coming to touch her back lightly.

"I m-miss him s-so m-much,"

"He'll be alright," The Hyuuga patted her back awkwardly. Despite their relation, Neji had never really embraced Hinata before. Thus when he found himself in this situation, he really hadn't got a single idea what to do. Throw a gun at him, and he would immediately unlock it, but throw his crying cousin at him - well, that was hard.

* * *

Sasuke jerked the van to a stop as he surveyed the area around him expertly.

"This is it." Kiba declared beside him, peering out of the windscreen.

Cargo containers littered the area, some stacked on top of one another, some standing alone, while others were side to side.

"Get out." Naruto ordered to Ishikawa, his mouth gagged, hands and legs tied. The redhead glared at him and shook his legs. "Mm mle fsh tfid."

Grabbing him by the collar, Itachi pushed him out and stepped out gracefully beside him as Ishikawa nearly toppled sideways.

"Where the hell is Kusugi?" The Uzumaki asked sharply, turning around.

"There." Sasuke said, inky eyes gleaming. The younger Uchiha slammed the door shut as he stared in the other direction. Itachi, one hand still on Ishikawa's collar.

Kiba, with Akamaru on a leash, studied the man appearing from between several cargo containers. The large white dog sniffed and growled warningly. Chocolate brown eyes narrowing, the Inuzuka saw perhaps seven other men step out.

The bastard had known that they would be outnumbered. He _wanted_ them outnumbered.

Naruto snarled. There was no Gaara among them.

Kiba sent him a warning glance as Sasuke stiffened.

"There are two Kusugi Masatos."

Itachi merely stared ahead, analysing the oncoming group.

"No." Kiba said sharply, sucking in his breath. "_Twins. _Freaking twins." Akamaru strained towards the one on the left. "Kusugi's most likely the on the left, judging from the way he's reacting."

The other five beefy men stood behind the supposed twins, eyes menacing.

Itachi made Ishikawa kneel on the ground as Kiba moved backwards and stood behind the criminal while he and Sasuke moved forward, Naruto flanking Ishikawa.

Kusugi Masato and his twin halted before them.

"I see I have Ishikawa," His brother spoke up, raising an eyebrow.

"But we don't see our agent." Sasuke responded, gaze blank.

"Oh _him_," The man waved a hand. "He's in container number 23907."

"We will not hand over Ishikawa until we see him," Itachi stated clearly. He looked very relaxed, in contrast to Naruto's tense stance. "Michio-san."

The same dark haired man's eyes went dark while Masato looked over sharply at Itachi, his black eyes mildly contented at the brothers' reaction.

Naruto blinked.

"Very well," Kusugi Michio snapped. "Bring the damn guy out."

A bodyguard lumbered off behind some containers. There was a screeching sound as though two very rusty surfaces were being pulled against each other. Moments later, he half dragged a redheaded man out. The Uzumaki moved forward eagerly.

Gaara's eyes were closed, his hair flattened to one side as though he had been lying on a side of his head for a very long while. The clothes he was clad in was stained heavily with blood, particularly on his arm. There were dirt stains as well, and he was very pale, paler than his usual complexion. A UMP was placed near his head as the bodyguard dropped Gaara to the ground.

Naruto bit down hard on his lip. "How do we know you haven't killed him?"

Masato stared at him coldly.

"I assure you, we haven't killed him. _Yet_."

"It wouldn't be very fair to us." Itachi spoke up. "You can see Ishikawa is well alive here, but I don't see how Sabaku Gaara can give us a response."

"Don't press me to kill him." Masato growled.

"'Don't press me to kill him either," Kiba instructed steadily, his own firearm aimed at Ishikawa's head.

Naruto's blue eyes went glazed, anger and trepidation whirling through him.

Itachi sighed very softly. He examined the redhead, who had been placed on the ground. Gaara was still breathing, albeit very lightly. Half turning, he motioned to Kiba. The Inuzuka scowled and removed his gun, dragging Ishikawa towards the space which separated the two groups. Akamaru stood, tensed and alert, watching the scene carefully, brown eyes almost human like.

The bodyguard moved and nudged Gaara's body, almost in line with Kiba.

Pushing Ishikawa forward, the Inuzuka glared at the other man while Michio inspected Ishikawa.

"Trade." Itachi said.

Naruto reached for his friend, fingers inches away from the redhead's skin-

A loud bang coupled with a furious growl erupted as the view shifted into black, white and was splattered with red.

Sasuke cursed and leapt forward, fist coming the bodyguard's way while his brother made a grab for Masato. Naruto roared, as Kiba and Akamaru went into action.

The blonde pulled Gaara away, but a foot slammed hard into his cheek, and blood spurted out of the inside of his cheek.

"Damn it!" He yelled and he did a back roll, watching rapidly as Kiba, with another guy in tow, crashed into the other bodyguard furiously, Akamaru's sharp fangs sinking rapidly into the hand of one bodyguard. A quick glance told him Itachi was handling another bodyguard while Kusugi Michio made his escape. Sasuke had two men on his hands. Kiba, on his left, was still fending off the previous two as well.

The Uchiha fired again, missing his target by an inch as the other man lifted his gun again. Naruto sped forwards and grabbed either men on his left and right, pulling them away from Sasuke and Kiba respectively. Bodyguard No. 1 stumbled and fell, a dusty brick within reach. He snatched it up and hurled the entire thing at the blonde, who ducked swiftly. However, No. 2 slammed hard into him, putting him in the way of the flying brick. The solid object thudded into his abdomen and Naruto landed on the ground, his world suddenly spinning for a moment. There was a dark chuckle, and the blonde agent rolled sideways as a bullet hit the ground he had been on previously. Under three seconds, he grabbed the gun in his shoulder holster without hesitating, and as though on cue, a black UMP slid towards him from behind. The blonde smirked. He hook his finger through the trigger and spun both guns effectively, its barrels pointed at either bodyguard. He fired accordingly, adrenaline filling his entire system, triumph at hitting bullseye at the same instance.

_Gotcha. Two down._

Naruto leapt up, sapphire orbs darting wildly as a gun met his sweaty forehead.

There was another bang, and the Uzumaki's eyes widened as bodyguard No. 3 choked, eyes wide, and fell. Behind him, Sasuke heaved, his shirt stained with blood while he stood with his arm out, gun in hand.

The Uchiha smirked.

"Teme! Beh-"

Kiba's jean clad leg rammed into the bodyguard behind Sasuke, and the Uchiha turned to help him as Akamaru pitched in. The Inuzuka seemed to have developed a non verbal invitation to a fight by whamming into occasional bodyguards.

Itachi was sprinting away from bodyguard No. 5, who half dragged his right leg after the tall man. Michio and Masato, with an untied Ishikawa between them, was retreating backwards while firing repeatedly at the four agents.

"ITACHI!"

Ebony hair whipping as he skillfully ducked behind a container, he gestured wildly to Gaara, who lay still on the ground. His cheek gleamed with blood.

"Get to Gaara," The Uchiha breathed hard, voice crackling thrugh his earpiece.

Naruto headed for Gaara, propping his head up on one arm as crimson liquid flowed freely from a wound near his chest, and he felt himself drown in despair as he placed his entire palm over Gaara's chest. It became slippery and sticky, its cloying smell making the blond sick to the stomach despite having practically breathed and lived with the scent of blood for nearly more than half his lifetime.

"GAARA!"

* * *

Thanks!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**: I'm sorry if the fighting scenes were kinda messy. :P I'm inexperienced. LOL. Thanks for your reviews though. XD This chapter is slightly longer than intended, so enjoy. :D There is light KibaIno, and if you can detect, a tinge of SasuSaku. The whole chapter is not very smooth so, pardon and bear with me! :)

Hope you like it!

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**14.**

"Uchiha Itachi has sprained his ankle. Uchiha Sasuke's a bit messy though. He's suffering from haemorrhage and is currently under stable condition. Haruno Sakura and his brother are with him. Inuzuka Kiba tore his knee ligament while Uzumaki Naruto got away with gashes and cuts."

"Good," Tsunade said, her footsteps in sync with Iruka's as the two walked briskly down the corridors of the hospital, bypassing patients, nurses and doctors.

"Sabaku Gaara.." Iruka hesitated, his dark eyes uncertain.

"Sabaku Gaara what?" Tsunade urged him.

"He -he got shot in the chest. But the bullet didn't hit his heart though. Just - near it."

The head stopped fully, making a doctor bump into her.

"Sorry."

"S'alright."

She turned on Iruka fully, hazel eyes closed.

"And then?"

"He's in the OT now. The surgeons are taking the bullet out." Iruka reported quickly.

"Okay."

Both rounded a corner swiftly and Tsunade stepped into a cubicle separated by curtains. Naruto sat there, staring at the machine which was currently measuring his heart rate. The blond turned his aqua eyes on her - they held a sort of dead look in them.

"Are you alright?" Iruka asked, stepping foward.

Naruto nodded.

"How's teme?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

"Very stable, but unconscious."

The Uzumaki took this news without any reaction, which was considered very alarming.

"We followed the plan," He suddenly said before the head could even speak. "There were five bodyguards, and five of us. One was shot thrice and unconscious, while four of us had to deal with five bodyguards. Kusugi Masato, Michio and Ishikawa took the opportunity to flee. Itachi managed to follow the trio, but he was held back again by the bodyguards. Sasuke took his lead while I went to Gaara. We were supposed to get three of them back, but now," At here, Naruto paused and fisted his hand. "We don't even have a single one of them under us."

"Things like that happen always, Naruto," Iruka said, leaning against a wall, his dark eyes soft. "Our job creates uncertaincy in everything we do."

There was silence for a few seconds before Tsunade spoke up. "I've issued an alert to the police as well as the other agents. I believe we'll get them soon."

Naruto just looked down.

"Just keep your mind off this for awhile." Tsunade ordered, her blonde hair gleaming under the lights. "Meanwhile though, I need to have a word with Hinata. Iruka, call me if Gaara gets out. I'll visit him along with the others."

* * *

Hinata stucked her hands through her hair as she leaned her elbows against the table in the interrogation room, white eyes downcast. Approximately 3 hours since Tsunade dispatched the retrieval team, she hadn't heard of any news, and it was driving her mad. Anko and Kakashi had not allowed her out of the room after the interrogation, though it was clear why. There was a chance, no matter how slight, that Gaara was a traitor, and if she had been in close contact with him the past weeks, then she certainly would be questioned and kept under surveillance until Gaara cleared his name and his motives.

The door swung open and Hinata looked up eagerly, half expecting Gaara to walk in. Instead, Tsunade, followed by Kurenai and Kakashi, appeared.

"Hinata," Tsunade sat across her.

"Have they rescued him?" She asked quickly.

"Yes." The blonde replied. There seemed to be a 'but' coming on.

"B-but what?" She whispered, her heart thrashing about.

"All team members are injured, and Gaara is currently having a bullet taken out."

"A bullet taken o-out- out from w-where?"

Tsunade stared into her eyes. "Chest."

Drawing in a deep breath, the Hyuuga's hands immediately went clammy. "C-chest?" She looked to Kurenai, then Kakashi, as though seeking help.

"He's undergoing an op," Kurenai said gently, stepping forward to take Hinata's hands. The warmth from Kurenai gave her little comfort. Hinata had a string urge to puke and retch, her eyes tearing up. She sat perfectly still however, back ramrod straight, but eyes still on the table. This didn't seem so unexpected, after the 12 hours of near hell situations she'd been through.

One tear fell onto the table and a couple more joined the first.

"Its- its p-protocol," She spoke, trembling. "T-that when one's partner f-fails, the other must c-continue,"

Kakashi dropped his head and his mask made a slight movement. "That is correct, Hinata."

"S-so I'll continue." The Hyuuga's eyes closed as she wept silently. "I'll track d-down Kusugi Masato."

"No," Kurenai shook her head. "Hinata, its not only Masato. Kusugi Michio and Ishikawa Izumo are our targets now as well. Michio is Masato's twin, and he has a part to play in Ishkawa's drug case."

Hinata took this in, reeling a little.

"They e-escaped?"

Tsunade nodded.

Hinata's shoulders sagged.

"I still have to go after them," She said softly. "If you will allow me to." It was contrasting to hear such a petite woman say such a thing. Leaning down, Kakashi murmured to Tsunade. "Gaara's still not cleared yet, even though we trust Hinata. We have to account for every decision made."

The blond nodded yet again. "I know." She answered steadily.

"Hinata." Tsunade leaned forward, closer to the agent. "I will allow you to finish and wrap this assignment up. But from now, you're going solo. We will keep track of your every move though, and should you require backup, we will provide you with that. You're going to have to do alot of work with this. Do you understand that?"

"Y-yes," She whispered.

"Good." Tsunade leaned back.

"Tsunade-sama," Hinata asked tentatively. "Can I see Gaara?"

Hazel eyes regarded her.

"Its alright if you won't let me talk to him. I- I just want to see him. _Please_."

* * *

An hour later, Hinata stood outside the hospital ward as Tsunade and Kakashi went through it. Her heart was thumping, and an odd and empty feeling swirled around in her stomach as she followed them in, clutching a bunch of white lilies in one hand. A uniformed policeman stood beside the double doors, hands behind his back.

The redhead was asleep, a bruise was forming on his cheek and jaw. His shirt lay open, revealing bandages running horizontally around his torso. More peeked out from under his sleeve, indicating the wound on his arm. Hinata felt cool and sweet relief course through her as the redhead dozed on, sleeping off the effects of the anaesthasia given to him. He was alive. Living and breathing.

It seemed as though this scene was a reoccurence to the day before Gaara had disappeared. This time though, the redhead didn't wake up, and the Hyuuga realised with a sinking stomach that his left hand had been handcuffed to the railings beside the bed. It seemed to imply that he still carried the distinct idea of a traitor and that Argon still had his doubts about him.

Hinata moved closer, overwhelmed by his presence. It had been so long since she last saw him. Had he been through alot? Why did he look so pale? She didn't hear what Tsunade was saying, however, because she was staring at Gaara. She wanted to pull him up and wrap her arms around him. The impulse to touch him was so strong, she had to grasp the railings tightly.

The door behind them opened again, signalling the doctor's entrance. He was in his thirties with blond hair and an easygoing smile.

"Hello," He greeted pleasantly. "I'm Dr. Junichi. I'm not the one who operated on him, although I was at the OT earlier with him.

"Sabaku Gaara's in a somewhat stable conditon now, although I suggest you refrain from interrogating him at least until this Friday. He'll be drowsy and he won't remember much at the moment. These conditions vary from person to person however. He shouldn't do any thing strenous, which means no exercising, no running or sprinting about. He will also need a full month to recover."

Tsunade nodded.

"What about his memory?" Kakashi spoke up.

"I don't think that he will have any problems in that area." The doctor glanced at the redhead. "The bullet is far from the brain, so no worries."

"Alright." Tsunade said, nodding.

Dr. Junichi checked his clipboard again. "Hm...Uchiha Sasuke's haemorrhage has shown signs of stopping, and he's likely to wake up anytime. Perhaps you would like to follow me to his ward?"

Tsunade nodded approvingly. She turned to Kakashi, who nodded as well.

"Hinata. I'll leave you here then."

"Yes."

She nodded at Tsunade and Kakashi, who exited with the doctor. Sighing, she removed a few stalks of lilies and arranged them carefully into a vase on the chest of drawers beside the bed. The rest would be for Kiba.

_From here on, Gaara, I'm going to make sure they get caught. Do you think I'll succeed?_

Gaara didn't reply, of course.

_I'll do my best. Those bullets weren't for nothing._

The redhead turned a little, and the Hyuuga started, but he settled into a deep sleep again.

_Were you always with us? With Argon? I don't believe you leaked info out, did you, Gaara?_

Hinata stood up and pulled the blanket over his torso, tucking him neatly into the bed.

"I'll be back soon." She whispered so softly, she didn't even hear herself.

The Hyuuga turned and snuck a last glance at her partner as she pulled open the door.

_Goodbye, Gaara._

Stepping out, she headed down to the elevator. Kiba would definitely appreciate her visit. The Inuzuka always didn't fail to make her laugh with his antics, and she hoped he was better. Kiba had tore his knee ligament, according to Kakashi. Itachi and Naruto were the only two who didn't have to stay overnight at the hospital, although Itachi would most likely be recuperating.

There was a light _ding_, and Hinata stepped out, turning left. She paused before entering, after hearing a very familiar voice, besides Kiba's that is.

"Kiba, _don't_ do that! You're injured, for god's sake!" Ino's voice floated through the doors. Hinata blinked for a moment, then entered. Ino was perched on the Inuzuka's bed, while Kiba grinned at her.

"Hey hey Hinata!"

"Hinata!"

The Hyuuga smiled, and she immediately felt herself relax.

"Hello Ino, Kiba," She approached them as Ino stood up. "How are you Kiba?"

"Knee hurts like hell and my back's sore, but I'm good," He held up both hands good naturedly.

"Do you want me to put these in the vase?" Ino asked as she gestured to the lilies.

"Thank you Ino," She handed them over to the tall blonde, who took them and arranged the lillies with the few stalks of daffodils.

"Have a seat, Hinata," Kiba gestured to the chair on his left.

"Okay," She sat and studied the darkhaired man and Ino who had resumed her position beside's Kiba's thigh. She noticed that Kiba's right knee had a beige coloured bandage around it, and he wasn't moving too much either.

"Takes nearly a month to fully recover," Kiba said, meeting Hinata's gaze. He sighed.

"What about Akamaru?" Hinata asked curiously. Kiba was almost never complete without the wolf like canine, and it seemed a little weird to see him without Akamaru.

"With my sis," He grinned.

"He misses his dog terribly," Ino rolled her eyes and flipped her blonde hair over a shoulder. "I don't see how he's going to _survive_ these few weeks."

Kiba grinned and placed a hand behind his head as Hinata laughed. The Hyuuga noticed wistfully that Ino seemed particularly close to Kiba and felt for a moment that she had been intruding upon them. The Inuzuka leaned closer to Ino and said something, making the agent blink exhaustedly as she waved him away mockingly, but she had a pleased smile on her face. Hinata felt the slightest tinge of envy as she smiled at them.

"Hinata," Kiba started, snapping her out of her daze.

"Hm?" She asked, meeting his eyes.

"If...if you're- I mean, if you have an assignment this time, be careful alright?" He said seriously. "Be alert."

"I will," She smiled at him.

"Good." The Inuzuka nodded.

* * *

Hinata set to work the very next day, keeping in mind the little bits and pieces of news that said either Kusugi brothers or Ishikawa had been spotted. There was a trend she discovered after at least three newspaper clippings, which was that the location of the trio seemed to be moving further and further away from small towns in Konoha. Leaf's airport had upped their security as well, on alert for any signs of either three. It was very likely they would try to flee the country. Business associates of the Kusugis had become more wary of each other, trying to infer if the men among them had supposedly slept with models Kusugi offered. The ones who did were left in a state of anxiety and petrified after thinking of the consequences lest they were revealed. Although the police hadn't requested the presence of the people Kusugi Masato and Michio had come in contact with, it would be eventual that they did.

Tsunade had requested that Yuzuki Eiji, the lone survivor out of the 5 men at the launch, be interrogated again. It was very likely that he had lied, if Gaara hadn't. The Hyuuga wondered if the redhead had awoke yet, leaning back in her desk chair as she stared at her computer screen. Beside the screen, there was a map of Konoha with three pins pinpointing the supposed location of her targets. She had sent policemen down to check, although none had returned yet.

"Still on the case?" A voice asked nearby, somewhere hear her crown.

Hinata swivelled and looked up.

"Neji," She greeted her cousin, standing up. The Hyuuga leaned his shoulder against the wall separating her desk from Tenten's empty one.

He nodded. "How's Gaara?"

"Well," Hinata hesitated. "I don't know. I saw him last night, but he was asleep. They got the bullet out though."

Neji nodded again.

"Neji," She started, twisting her hands. "T-thank you, for-for that d-day,"

"_That_ day? Oh." Hinata thought she'd just witnessed her cousin blushed, but couldn't quite see the pink tinge she just saw a nanosecond ago. "Yeah. Well." The tall Hyuuga tilted his head. "Good luck with it then. And be careful too."

Exactly the same words Kiba had uttered.

"I will, nii san."

The phone on her desk crackled.

"Hinata? Could you come to my office for a sec?" Tsunade.

"Okay," She replied quickly.

"See you then," Neji nodded at her, moving away.

"Alright. Bye."

"Bye."

Hinata hurried to Tsunade's office and entered, wondering what the head wanted.

"Tsunade-sama?"

"Ah, Hinata," She said, staring at her computer screen as she peered at it. Finally dropping her gaze, she focused on Hinata. "About the assignment I gave you,"

"Yes,"

"It would be best if you kept it from other agents for the time being. I don't want any risks, and I want it to be successful."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

"If Gaara asks about it, you will say that you're assisting other agents in the case. There will be no need for evidence, because I don't see why the Kusugis should run if they haven't done anything wrong. We'll also start to call up on his closest business friends first. The police will handle that area though."

Hinata nodded.

"If _he_ probes any further, then tell him to come to me." Tsunade kneaded her forehead with her fingers.

"Okay," Hinata answered, supressing the urge to shiver at the thought of looking at Gaara's penetrating jade eyes while she spoke the untruth.

When she exited Tsunade's office later, Genma loped towards her, a clear bag in one hand and a folder in another.

"Hinata," He stopped and grinned, the long toothpick moving up.

"Genma," She said. "Have you got the bullet?"

"Yep. Straight from Sabaku's chest, but thoroughly cleaned." He grinned again as they headed for her desk. "The folder contains the origins of the bullet and the various types of guns Kusugi may have used. Hope its useful."

"Thank you very much," She smiled.

"No prob. Come to me if you wanna talk about it," He replied, saluting as he strode off. The bullet and its report wasn't of much use, for Kusugi could have ditched the gun already. But it was a good piece of report though. Eventually, it would probably help her, one way or another.

A glance at her wristwatch told her it was a quarter past one. Grabbing her bag, the Hyuuga stood up and decided that it would be a good time to visit Gaara. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't had her lunch yet as she rode the elevator down. Hinata didn't fancy a meal, so she just bought a couple of sandwiches and munched on them on the way to the general hospital.

A different policeman was there, this time younger than the previous one.

_Fresh out of the academy, s_he thought, eyes sweeping over his bright eyed gaze. He nodded at her as she pushed opened the door.

There, sitting on the bed and leaning against the pillows was the redhead, his green eyes as brilliant as ever, his crimson hair turning different shades of red under the lights as he turned to stare at her.

Hinata herself was tongue tied, so she just stood there as the door swung shut and stared into his eyes, which had the slightest hint of a smile. He surprised her even more when the corners of his mouth went up a little.

And then he uttered her name in his throaty tone which send little tingles down her spine as she stood there, clutching her handbag.

"Hinata."

_Whoa._

It sounded so refreshing to hear him speak.

"Gaara," She croaked out, moving forward woodenly. Heck, she didn't even know she had stepped forward. _Very nice, Hinata. _Oh, and she was beside him now. There was a rustle, and she realised that he had been reading the newspapers. It had been turned to page 3, where the case regarding Kusugi Masato was reported in a short column. They hadn't mentioned any of the agents' names, just Masato, Michio and Ishikawa Izumo. There was a picture of all three too.

Then she made a mistake of looking further up, at his chest. His shirt was still unbuttoned.

"How do you feel?" She asked, smiling a little.

"Slight aching," He said, meeting her white eyes. "In the chest."

"Oh," She blushed, remembering her tears when she'd heard of the wound. That seemed such a long time ago. His left hand was still handcuffed, and it twitched a little when she set eyes on it, as though Gaara wanted to lift it up.

"They don't want to risk me running off again," He said huskily.

"Well, y-you wouldn't," Hinata glanced shyly at him.

"Did you tell them that when they interrogated you?" The redhead asked.

Hinata didn't dare look at him.

"Yes," She said very softly.

"You're very foolish," He said as she stared at him, orbs unreadable.

"Why?" Hinata questioned timidly.

"Because you trust people so easily." He answered as she felt heat creeping up her neck. "You trust me so easily, so much." His right hand had come up, up to her hair, pushing some strands away behind her ear. "Too much."

Hinata stood very still, unable to meet his gaze however. What did he mean? What did his words mean?

Something warm and heavy was on her neck, she realised suddenly. Gaara's hand had found his way there, and he applied pressure, making her bend as he leaned closer. Hinata closed her eyes as their lips melded perfectly, and Gaara's tongue found its way past her lips. She kissed him back passionately after a few seconds, her hand coming up against his chest, careful not to touch his wound however. Moving her head back to allow more room, she sighed into his mouth, relishing the feel of his mouth on hers. Slipping up her hand, Hinata held his shoulder tightly and allowed him to ravish her as his thumb stroked her cheek lazily. There was a clink; the redhead had attempted to lift up his left hand, but the handcuff had hindered his movements.

Groaning, he released her, eyes glazed and slightly frustrated. Hinata slowly reopened hers, obviously in a daze, lips still parted and breathing hard.

"What if I was a traitor? What if I really did betray Argon?" He asked hoarsely.

"You wouldn't. I knew it."

"What _if_?"

Hinata smiled sadly down at him.

"I-I don't know," She said. It would hurt, she knew. It would be painful like a bullet wound, or even worse.

"You shouldn't have judged too quickly," He said, his hand stilll cupping her neck. Hinata placed her hand over Gaara's free one and smiled.  
"I didn't judge too quickly," She replied. "Your actions made me judge, Gaara."

* * *

Thanks!


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **Last part wasn't so smooth. Another dose of GaaHina again. I have a feeling that there are too little GaaHina actions. :D Tell me what you think. XD.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto nor all of its characters.

* * *

**15.**

"My actions have motives," Gaara dropped his hand, taking Hinata's along with him.

"Good motives," She defended him softly.

"You and Naruto are the gullible ones," He closed his hand around hers as Hinata sat at the edge of the bed beside him. She smiled.

"Willingly."

"Hm," Gaara smiled a little.

"Have you eaten?"

"Yeah-"

Her cell phone vibrated and rang in her bag. Gaara released Hinata's hand as she leaned forward to rummage around, fishing it out quickly.

"Hello?"

"Ms Hyuuga." A nasal but pleasant voice said at the other end. "Its Officer Tadachi here from the Konoha Police HQ."

"Ah," Hinata stood up and sent an apologetic look to Gaara.

"We sent men down to the places you requested earlier. I'm afraid that they did not spot any of the men you have named."

"Its alright then," Hinata sighed. "Thank you so much for your efficiency."

"You're welcome, Ms Hyuuga." There was a click and Hinata pulled the phone away from her ear. She turned and smiled at Gaara as she dropped the cell phone into her bag. He gave her a questioning look.

"Oh, just some matters I needed to look after," She reassured him, returning to his side.

"Mm," He sat up straighter, and she helped him arrange the pillows. "Be careful," Hinata looked down at him, smiling. He leaned up and brushed his lips across hers, tongue darting out slightly. Hinata moved away, blushing as she resumed her seating position.

"So are you helping with the case now?" He asked, green eyes drifting to the newspaper beside him.

"Yes," Hinata said, licking her lips nervously. "We're getting on to it."

"So who's working with you now?" Gaara glanced at her.

"Oh, a couple of rookies." Hinata said, tucking a loose strand of black hair behind her ear.

"Make sure they do a good job," He said, closing his eyes. "Some are too eager."

"You rest," Hinata laughed. "And I will deal with them."

"Hinata," He said, opening his eyes to reveal emerald orbs. "I'll be interrogated soon,"

"Yes," She said softly. "They'll clear you, I am confident of that,"

Gaara cupped her chin, eyes turning hard. "When they interrogated you...were they harsh?"

"No," Hinata shook her head. "Not at all. They were very patient with me."

"Are you telling the truth?'

"The truth and only the truth, Gaara," Hinata murmured as she looked him in the eye.

"I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble." He said huskily.

"You couldn't see it coming," Hinata fiddled with the hem of her skirt. "No one could."

Before Gaara could answer, there was a flurry as the door opened and two people rushed in. Temari, her eyes wide, hurried forward as she cupped Gaara's cheek.

"A bullet wound to your chest and nobody told me until _now_?!"

The redhead's jaw clenched.

"_Temari_."

"Gaara," Kankurou cut him off. "We flew here from Suna the minute Argon's representative called us. Imagine yourself sitting in a meeting room with this group of swanky looking people and somebody calls you to say your younger brother has been kidnapped, and _then_ after that shot thrice. I had a heart attack right there man!"

Hinata, who had removed herself from Gaara's bed the moment Temari ploughed in, smiled at Kankurou. He was so comical in moments like these. Temari's worry was a natural instinct Hinata recognised, just like something a mother would feel towards her child.

"Are you alright? Why are you sitting up?" Temari fussed.

"Temari." Gaara grabbed her hand, making hert stop in her words. "I'm fine. I feel _perfectly_ fine."

"Okay." His sister took in a deep breath to steady herself. "Okay. Have you eaten yet?"

"Yes." The redhead leaned back in his pillows.

"Gaara willl need a full month to recover," Hinata spoke up from her corner, smiling at Kankurou.

"Oh hey, Hinata," The dark haired man said, grinning as Temari looked up. "Thanks. We'll make sure he recovers fully." Temari stood up and left Gaara's bed, heading for her. She touched Hinata's elbow lightly.

"Could I talk to you for a moment, outside perhaps?"

"Sure," The Hyuuga replied, slightly confused.

Both women stepped out, leaving the two brothers in the room.

"I heard that Gaara has been suspected of helping Kusugi Masato. He's been handcuffed as well-"

Hinata smiled and placed her hand on the older woman's arm reassuringly. "I cannot tell you much, but it is neccessary for them to interrogate him. It is protocol for Gaara to be r-restrained as well."

The blonde nodded, although she still looked slightly ill at ease.

"As long as he has done no wrong, they will not be able to do anything to him," The Hyuuga said. "I believe you should have nothing to worry about."

"I- I told him," Temari turned away from Hinata to gaze out at a window overlooking the city. She seemed to be contemplating whether or not to tell Hinata something, but she ploughed on after a minute. "I told him not to join Argon. But he never listens. As usual." Temari smiled at the memory. "I wasn't worried about him unable to perform his duty, but there was always the risk that he would be K.I.A."

"Yes," Hinata agreed, leaning her head against the wall. "Before anyone submits him or herself to the job, she must always take that into consideration."

"You're an agent as well, aren't you?" Temari turned a little.

"That is right." The Hyuuga said. "Uh, I did office work and reports most of the time. It was a bit sort of like any other normal 9 to 5 job."

"Oh?" Temari asked. "But you've been with Gaara on a case."

"Yes. That was only recently."

"I'm surprised. I don't see many young women in this profession." The blonde smiled.

"Oh there are, Temari-san."

"Just Temari,"

"Temari," Hinata gave her a shy smile. "Its just that you don't see them often."

"Its been tough then."

"It is."

Here Hinata was, talking to a woman she didn't know quite well, and yet, seemed to find themselves revealing certain things. Temari looked tired although her eyes were still wide open. Perhaps the thing that prevented her from sleeping peacefully was the knowledge that her brother had been heavily injured. Hinata was quite in awe of her, for it seemed that Temari had been the one to build such a successful career for herself and her brothers. She felt that Temari's personality was strong and she didn't seem the sort who would be deterred easily, exactly what a businesswoman should be. In fact, all three siblings had that personality.

"Hey, are you guys gonna stay out there all day?" Kankurou's head popped out behind a wall.

"We're coming," Temari said, rolling her eyes. "Hinata, let's go."

The two women entered the room again, Gaara's eyes following them, trying to read their expressions. What on earth did Temari want to speak to about Hinata? Probably about him being implicated. He thought grumpily. That was nothing to be worried about. His job came with risks like that. How the heck was he suppose to prevent it?

And then there was the unfinished case. It was obvious he wouldn't be able to continue like this, and Hinata had got a team with her. He hoped that she would get it done over quick. The desire to grab both Kusugis and one slimy Ishikawa roared in him furiously. If he weren't in this state, they would be in the hands of the law now.

Jade eyes roved Hinata, taking in her black skirt and gray buttoned up blouse. She probably came from Argon's HQ straight away.

Temari moved beside him, amd he turned to hissister.

"Take care of yourself, Gaara," She said, her older sister instincts kicking in again. "Please."

"Yeah," He said a little grumpily, feeling as though she still saw him as the reckless teenager who often pissed her off with his silly actions.

"I'll come again around evening."

"Don't move too much." Kankurou instructed.

"You guys." Gaara said warningly.

"Jeez." Kankurou laughed. "Tell us, how can we not worry about our_ baby_ brother?"

The redhead glowered at him.

"Okay, okay, we'll be making a move then. See you Hinata,"

"Bye Kankurou, Temari."

"Bye,"

The blonde and her brother whipped out of sight, leaving the door swinging close.

"Have you got to go too?" Gaara asked, running his hand up her arm. They had definitely gotten more intimate, _oh yes._ And he'd kissed her. Twice.

"I can stay awhile more." Hinata swept some red strands out of his eyes. He pulled her down for another kiss, and she complied.

* * *

"Afternoon. What can I do for you?"

A motherly looking woman with spectacles smiled at Hinata as she approached the front counter of Konoha Banking Services. The marble tiles under her gleamed as lights shone brightly above, men and women in business suits moving about quickly while each counter buzzed quietly from the murmurs of customers.

"Afternoon. I am an agent from Argon. Perhaps there is something you can do for me." Hinata said politely, flashing her ID.

"Ah!" The woman took her ID and inspected it. "Agent Hyuuga."

"I would like to keep track of Kusugi Masato and Kusugi Michio's bank accounts. There is no need to freeze it, however. Just let me know if there has been any withdrawal or deposits."

"Alright, Ms Hyuuga."

"You can ask for me if you have any questions. I do believe you have Argon's contact number with the bank?"

"That is correct." The woman smiled and nodded. "We will alert you of any happenings."

"Thank you."

"Its our pleasure. Have a good day."

"You too," Hinata smiled and she stepped away. Argon hadn't cancelled the Kusugis' credit cards, for it would serve as a signal if they were to purchase anything, and the agents would be able to locate them easily.

Hinata exited the bank and held up a hand to stop her hair from flying around as a cool breeze swept through the area. She scanned the area, although it wasn't likely that her targets would appear here.

And then she saw _him_.

Standing among the people, looking furtively as he slipped through them skillfully was either Kusugi Masato or Michio, his back disappearing among a gaggle of teeange girls.

Hinata started forward so swiftly, a woman who had been standing next to her shrieked. Several people glanced at the woman, but Hinata ignored her and darted around people, moving forward. She crossed the street and then caught a glimpse of his back again, this time, she ran, her dark hair streaming past as she dodged people; mothers with strollers, old ladies, lovers and a harried looking businessman. There he was again, with a dark jacket, his dark hair flat as he moved swiftly.

The Hyuuga broke into a full run, exactly the kind of runs you would catch Kiba doing when he was chasing someone. Her feet, encased in heels protested, but Hinata didn't stop. She couldn't.

She was nearing him, catching herself just in time before she fell over a peice of twig lying innocently in her path. Looking up, she realised that he had paused to grab a roll of newspaper. Three more steps, two more, one more-

Hinata grabbed his shoulder, a rather bold move for her. She was prepared for any kind of attack, but it didn't come. Instead, the man turned. He was in his mid forties, and had gray eyes, which peered over the rims of his specs. Certainly not Kusugi.

"Young lady? Is something the matter?"

Shocked, the female stared at him.

"N-No. I-I'm very sorry."

The man nodded and smiled a bit before he walked off.

Panting, Hinata brushed away strands of her hair and rummaged around for her phone. She switched it into tracking mode, waiting in vain for the signal that she had succeeded.

_If he could be located this way, then we would have got him already._

Hinata eyed her surroundings carefully, taking in every person which she saw. No Kusugi.

She gripped her phone and huffed, sitting down on the bench.

* * *

Two weeks flew by without much progress, although Hinata did get wind of more sightings. She herself personally went down to some of the locations, but the trips were made in vain.

It appeared that the Masato, Michio and Izumo could most likely be together, although Hinata didn't see any benefits even if they went into hiding together. Officers had been sent down to the borders of Konoha, where it was mostly occupied by woods and forests. Search dogs had been used too, but all they found was a tie, which did belong to Kusugi Michio. He was nowhere to be seen, and the team had spent nearly a whole day combing the area. In the end, they found a couple of empty cans and bottles, including food boxes. They held the DNA of the three men, which told Hinata that the trio had probably retired to the woods earlier on. They would most likely feel the need to move location every few days, which prompted the agent to send men down to all borders. It was quite obvious that there was no need to go undercover, even if the three had seen her before or not. From here, it was going to be a full chase for them.

There had been no news of anything yet, and Hinata was starting to show the slightest signs of frustration. Kusugi Agency and the car company was barely thriving and plenty of models had since left the agency already. Some had stepped forward to prove that Kusugi Masato did force them into sleeping with his clients, although others chose to remain quiet for fear of being identified. The testimonials however, were more than sufficient to press charges against him.

The Hyuuga visited Gaara almost everyday, and she knew, somewhere deep in her mind, that they had grown impossibly close. A week ago, Gaara had been interrogated, but Hinata didn't know which interrogaters had been the ones to do that. They did it at the hospital, where a room had been provided for them. The redhead still remained handcuffed however, and Naruto had flew into quite a rage when he heard of it a few days previously. Kakashi had to threaten him with his active status as an agent, and only then did the blonde become subdued.

Tsunade had also talked to her about her assignment, and dropped rather casually that 'the reports for the investigation of Gaara would soon be released'.

Hinata felt immensely relieved and light at once, although she didn't tell Gaara about it.

"You're going to be discharged today," She told Gaara one evening as she watched him.

"I haven't seen daylight for a few weeks," He commented. "And I can't even pace the room like a caged tiger." He tugged impatiently on his handcuffs.

Hinata laughed behind her hand.

"But Naruto comes in sometimes to keep you company. And Temari and Kankurou too."

"Naruto's unhealthy in large doses," Gaara groused. "So are siblings."

Hinata smoothed his hair and smiled, shaking her head. "Well I guess I m-might as well stop coming too."

"I like it when you visit me," Gaara pulled her hand closer and moved foward.

Hinata's heart caught in her throat.

He placed a kiss on her neck and moved up, brushing his lips across her jaw, her corner of her mouth, teasing her lightly. Startlingly, she turned her head and kissed him on the lips, his hand coming to her back as he pulled her closer, tilting his head. He broke away and gazed at her for a few seconds before he growled something.

"Take off your shoes."

"W-what?"

"Take off you _shoes_, Hinata."

She blinked and did as told while still sitting by his side. His left handcuffed hand on her waist and his right on her back, he moved her up until it dawned on her what he wanted as she straddled him.

"You are very c-cunning," She murmured.

"No. Its called being flexible and making full use of the opportunity." His eyes dropped to her navy blue dress, which fell before her knees. Now, it had ridden up her thighs.

Hinata blushed and brushed his wound lightly.

"Am I hurting you?"

"Never will." The redhead replied before crashing his mouth onto hers as she squeaked and slipped her arms around his neck. Burying his face in her neck after plenty of twisting and turning on his part, he groaned.

"Gaara, are you in pain?" Hinata asked worriedly, trying to get off him.

"No. I'm contemplating the consequences if I take you right here. Right now." He lifted his eyes to hers and Hinata blushed madly, turning her head away. He sounded so roguish and rough, although it seemed to her that she was the one who had full power over him with her position and his restrained hand.

"You can't do that, please." She protested weakly. "If someone walks in on us, and-and-"

Gaara kissed her again, this time with more force as she moaned and he laughed at the same time, which sent little thrills of pleasure down her spine as his laughter reverberated throughout her body. Threading her fingers through his hair, she smoothed it again, favouring the softness of it and how it seemed to be like satin and silk rolled into one. Her fingers laced through the crimson strands and she felt herself pull on it as she deepened the kiss, despite the intensity of it all already.

"Mm," She sighed as he kissed her throat, and then went up again to her ear. He pulled her into a hug suddenly when they broke away, and the Hyuuga was somewhat bewildered by his actions.

"Gaara," Hinata called softly.

There was silence, before he spoke into her hair again.

"If I hadn't got you as a partner...what would've become of me?"

"I am sure that the truth would eventually come out."

The redhead ran his hands through her hair.

"Not all people think the way you do."

"Gaa-"

Hinata's eyes widened as she heard the male voice of Kankurou, who had entered the room within a few seconds. Gaara, who did not even bat an eyelid, stared past her shoulder at his brother, who stood there as still as a scarecrow. Hinata immediately scrambled down from her position, jammed her feet into her pumps and blushed deeply, straight to the roots of her inky locks.

"OH MY GO-"

"Will you shut up? This is a damn hospital." Temnari appeared behind, looking annoyed. She was carrying a bag. "What happened anyway? You look like you saw a banshee. Hello Gaara, Hinata."

"I- Gaara-" Kankurou saw the blond doctor and the policeman trailing behind Temari, and then shut his mouth and grinned. "Nevermind. Later."

"Dr. Junichi says he can go home today." The blond woman smiled at Gaara, then Hinata. "But you're gonna be at home most of the time, until next month."

"Which is soon." Gaara retorted. Temari chose to ignore his comment.

Dr Junichi smiled widely and placed his stethoscope on the redhead's chest. "You look very good, Gaara-san. Fast recovery there. Try not to knock into anything with your arm though. You have two bullet wounds. And if any bleeding starts, come to the hospital _straight away_."

Gaara nodded.

The doctor checked his pupils, and then pocketed the tool.

"Alright. I will sign the forms and then you can leave anytime, Gaara-san."

"Thank you." Temari and Kankurou said simultaneously.

The doctor smiled and waved, departing after that. The young officer, who had been standing in a corner all the while, stepped forward to unlock the handcuff. There was several clanks, and the metal object slid away into his hands.

"Thank you," Hinata murmured quietly.

He nodded and departed after that as well.

Gaara, who started to move his hand about, twisted his wrist and eyed it, settling into the new feeling of the capability to move his left hand.

"Get changed." Temari plopped the bag down at her brother's feet, and he took it. Gaara got out of the bathroom after a few minutes in a pair of jeans and t-shirt, and found Temari and Hinata conversing while Kankurou darted his eyes to Hinata, then to him.

"Dude," The darkhaired man started, stepping closer to him as he zipped up the bag. "What is going on between you and Hinata?"

"I think its quite apparent." The redhead said monotonously.

"Oh yeah. _Sure_-"

"Guys. Let's make a move." Temari called, interrupting their conversation. She watched Kankurou beadily as Hinata went to Gaara's side and helped him with the bag, her hands brushing his occasionally.

"I have to leave for Argon," She told him as they made their way to the carpark. Gaara's gaze swept over her face.

"How are you getting on with the case?"

"Alright," Hinata said a little haltingly. "There are other agents with me. We want to close it soon."

The redhead nodded as he stopped before the entrance to the carpark. "Take care of yourself." He murmured.

"You too, Gaara," She smiled up at him. "I'll visit you soon."

"Hm. Okay." He gripped her hand once. "See you then."

"Bye,"

Temari stepped up to them a little.

"Thank you, Hinata,"

"You're welcome, Temari." Hinata smiled. "I have to leave now."

"Bye Hinata," Kankurou said, his features serious.

She watched as the trio moved off slowly, and Gaara gave her one last glance. The Hyuuga fought the urge to run after him, but stayed put and then turned when they had disappeared completely.

* * *

Thanks!


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Bonus. Hehe. Within the same day. Hope it isn't too bad, people. And thanks for your reviews!!!!!!!!!

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**16.**

Not accustomed to calls that carried messages of a supposed corpse found off Fire Country's waters near Wave Country, Insp. Shiro was driven into such excitement that he could barely consume his delicious breakfast prepared by his wife. Never in all of his fifteen years as an inspector did he ever receive such a call from Port City's local police station, where Konoha's borders met the tiny Wave Country's. Well unless you counted the one where they thought a dead fish was the bloody hand of some dead body.

"Fumio, are you very _very_ sure?"

"As sure as anything, Insp. Shiro! There's an awful stench coming off from it, and we've cordoned off the area. I'll tell you when you come down here." The rookie officer said brightly.

Insp. Shiro was down by the beachside within ten minutes, dawn just beginning to rise above the waters. It was quite a beautiful sight, but when one had seen this many times, it wasn't that much of a big deal, to Insp Shiro that is.

There was a gaggle of onlookers, who talked among each other while occasionally sniffing or pinching their noses. Another police car had been parked some way off, and two police officers were standing guard before the tape. Shiro held his breath as he apporached the area.

He flashed his warrant and the two stepped back to let him pass. Officer Fumio was standing there, looking excited. The older man himself could not imagine how Fumio could still _breathe _when the blue tent housing the body was a few meters away from him. The rotting stench was getting repulsive, and the Inspector thanked heavens that he didn't eat much for breakfast, of he would have vomited it all over the sand.

"Stinks as hell huh?" Fumio said excitedly. "Some old guy who went fishing hooked up the corpse. Mighty big fish he had, and he got a fright. Said he immediately released it, but it sorta floated up."

Breathing through his mouth, Shiro watched as Fumio pointed the man out to him, who sat seated on a bench while two policemen talked to him.

Two men stepped out of the tent - the first he recognised as lanky Takeuchi Daiki, a coroner working for the police. His companion was darkhaired and around 25.

"Inspector Shiro," Daiki greeted. He had his latex gloves on, which had obviously been contaminated. With what, Shiro didn't know.

"Quite surprised to be called here," The man said, brown eyes dark. "This town here barely has any record for murders."

"Tell me about it." Shiro peered at him. "So what's the tidbits on the - _thing_?"

"It _is_ a corpse alright." Daiki said. Fumio's eyes widened. "Male. Age ranging from late thrities to early forties. Was knifed in the stomach, and then dumped into the sea straight away. The murderer tied a brick on his legs each, so that he would sink. However, one of the bricks wasn't tied too properly. So he managed to float a bit. He was probably dumped and killed a week ago."

"Can we identify him?" Shiro asked.

"His features are decomposed...but he bears resemblance to the released Ishikawa Izumo - you know, the guy on Argon's wanted list."

"_Argon_," Shiro and Fumio said simultaneously, as though the word was some kind of god.

"Yes. We'll have to bring it back to the morgue first to do more examining though."

"Aright. Alright." Shiro repeated, as though in a daze. Well. This certainly made up for the sedentary lifestyle as a police officer for the past fifteen years! Even the nation's most trusted agents had something to do with this!

"You can bring the corpse back. I'll have to alert HQ."

Daiki nodded and the man headed for a group of men standing at a corner wearing masks and gloves. "That would be most suitable." He left as well, and Shiro breathed in deeply.

"Sir, you should call now."

"Right." Shiro said and picked up his cell phone. He placed a call through to Konoha's HQ, and their response was they would send men and some agents dow as well. The middle aged man was getting excited. He was gonna have a lot of telling to do when he got home. One of the officers, who had been talking to the old man, started forward to Shiro.

"Sir," He said, adjusting his spectacles. "Ken Katsuro found him about fifteen minutes ago. Said he was just fishing as usual, like he does everyday. He caught the piece of rope with his hook and pulled up the corpse's feet first."

"How did he managed to pull up such a hea-"

Fumio broke off when Shiro shot him a withering look.

"He dropped his fishing line, but it just stayed half afloat on the surface. So he went back to shore and called us. We sent a boat out and got it onboard. Its about 16 km from the shore. Lying somewhere west. We have a GPS reading as well."

"Okay." Shiro said nodding. "HQ just sent some men down, and agents too. We'll have to tell them about it. Meanwhile, get your men to comb the area thoroughly."

"Yes sir."

A car screeched to a halt not far off, followed by another police car. A petite female with black hair stepped out, followed by a masked taller man with light hair that stood up. Four police officers leapt out too, and headed for them. Shiro assumed that the first two were agents -_Such a young ones!_ He thought incredibly.

Stepping forward eagerly, he nodded importantly to the pair of agents.

"Hatake Kakashi and Hyuuga Hinata. Argon." The masked man said while producing their IDs, both eyes of his passive and serious.

Shiro retold everything, from what Daiki and the officer had informed him. "The coroner's off to the left. The other men are conducting a search by the beach too."

"Excellent." The one called Hatake said, nodding his head tightly. Then he turned to the white eyed female - Hyuuga- and spoke something as she nodded.

"We'll make our way to the body then."

"Yes sir." Shiro said respectfully, in awe of them.

Oh, there was definitely plenty to tell his wife!

* * *

Hinata cringed a little when the stench hit her full in the face properly as she ducked a little to peer through the open flap of the tent like what Kakashi was doing.

_His mask sure comes in handy at times like these. _

The sight that met her wasn't a very pleasant one, and it had been badly decomposed too. The body was bloated and pale. The head of the corpse was even worse - nature had definitely been working on it.

"Bad morning." Kakashi joked. Hinata smiled at him weakly as she mimicked him and Daiki droned on behind them about the corpse. When he had finished, the coroner left the two agents to examine the body.

"Hinata?" Kakashi questioned as he squatted.

"Matches his height. Physique...I'm not so sure, but it seems to fit too. We should have anticipated his death...Kusugi Masato and his twin could have felt that- that three was perhaps too _c-crowded_."

He tilted his head and his mask wrinkled. "I agree with you." He replied quietly. "We'll need an autopsy report too...If its him, then we'll just have two on our hands now. And when you kill someone-" Here he paused and looked at Hinata, waiting for her to continue.

"You'll leave evidence." She finished quietly.

"_Correct_."

"Kiba's injured..." Hinata trailed off.

Kakashi smiled his little smile. "That's what you think."

* * *

Approximately half an hour later, Kiba had gotten into action already - he was now at the beach, Akamaru called to heel beside him, his tail sweeping back and forth lazily. It appeared that Kiba had been to work for the past few weeks already, so a search like this wasn't too much of a problem, since Tsunade had assigned him to 'light' duties. Kakashi and Hinata had explained to him the situation; if Daiki had said that the corspe was killed by a knife wound and then drowned, then they ought to comb the area for-

"A knife." Kiba declared. "That's a piece of cake."

Hinata smiled a bit.

Behind him was a team of 4 police dogs, who stood with their respective officers while they watched Akamaru. Almost the entire beach had been cleared because of them, and a group of reporters had gathered outside the cordoned area. Inspector Shiro was currently talking to them, and Kakashi made sure that the police officers blocked the media from photographing or filming the corspe when it was brought away.

"You may not find it though." Kakashi stated reasonably. "After all, I don't think Masato or Michio's stupid enough to leave something behind them. The slightest trail of blood is also good enough for us."

The Inuzuka nodded. Hinata saw that he seemed capable of walking fine, although she sensed that he couldn't run as fast.

"Take it easy," She said gently.

"I will," He grinned at her.

At around quarter past eleven, Kiba's team sent a message via one of the officers that he had indeed found blood- a tiny drop that hadn't gone unnoticed by the alert canines.

"It's somewhere near the port sir." The officer reported. "Just a tiny one. On the ground."

"Lead us." Kakashi said.

They arrived just before the port, where Kiba stood, one hand on his hip. He waved them over.

"Where is it?" Kakashi asked, looking at him.

"There." The Inuzuka pointed his finger at Akamaru, who nosed something on the ground occasionally. Hinata made her way there, and the dog stepped aside dutifully when Kiba made a signal at him.

The Hyuuga squatted, her eyes searching. She found it- a speck of dried blood that could pass as dirt on the ground. She leaned forward closer. It was indeed, blood.

"Aren't there others?" She called out as Kakashi examined it.

"Nope. Not now, at least. I have the team somewhere in the port. Bit of a surprise to some of the ships docking there. I got entry with the guards."

"The blood need not necessarily belong to the corpse. If we say that the dead body is Ishikawa, this speck of blood may belong to the corpse, or it may not as well." Kakashi deduced.

"We can run a DNA test on it." Hinata spoke up.

Kiba nodded.

"I'll get the investigators here." Kakashi sighed.

The Hyuuga thought hard as the older man placed his cell near his ear. If Daiki said the body had been dumped straight away after the person had been killed, then the murderer(s) must have carried/dragged him to the beach-

But wait. The body was found around approx. 16 km away from the shore - could it be possible that it had sunk, and then drifted further away into the sea? Or- or -

_Did they perhaps throw it from a boat?_

Hinata's pupils widened.

"Alright. Thanks." Kakashi snapped his mobile shut, turning to her. "Something you want to tell me, Hinata?" He watched her features. Hinata explained her guess.

"Mmm hmm...." Kakashi said, forehead creasing. "That fits as well. That speck-" He jabbed a finger in the direction of it. "Will tell us something."

* * *

By afternoon, they hadn't found anything else and the dogs didn't manage to pick up scents either, which prompted Hinata to become more inclined towards the idea that the corpse had been thrown from a boat. It seemed that the only clue was the speck of dried blood. She returned to Argon from Port City, and submitted a report to Tsunade regarding the discovery of the corpse.

It took the lab two days to identify the blood - unfortunately, it didn't belong to Ishikawa Izumo's. A day later, Takeuchi Daiki confirmed that the identity of corpse was indeed Ishikawa Izumo. The latter seemed to be safer under the police's hands rather than the twin Kusugis.

Hinata sighed. Two were left now. And what a great start to begin the day too.

She had issued a an alert to the Coast guards to look out for anything which piqued their curiosity on the seas, whther it be vessels, yachts, or boats, and faxed them a copy of Kusugi Masato and Michio. So far, the police had started interrogating close friends of Kusugi Masato and Michio. The reason why Hinata and Gaara had no inkling that Masato had a brother, was because Michio had lived in Takigakure for nearly a decade, and had not used his birth name in his passport. This little nugget of info had been presented by Itachi through email, who identified Michio when they rescued Gaara. The Uchiha had been on an assignment in Takigakure the year before that and it seemed that his heightened photographic memory had served him useful, for he had recognised the familiar features.

Hinata thanked him, and yawned a bit.

It was half past seven, and some agents were already leaving the place.

Ino's head popped round the corner, almost making Hinata jump.

"Hinata!"

"Ino, you scared me," Hinata sighed, one hand over her chest. The blonde laughed. "Are you leaving?"

"Soon." Hinata smiled.

"Well, we could leave together if you want." Ino offered.

"Okay." Hinata nodded. "Just let me shut the computer." The blonde agent braced her arm against the horizontal line of the wall and leaned her chin on her arm.

"Been taking care of Kiba?"

"I don't have time for him," Ino said, flipping her hair over her shoulder airily. "I've got plenty of assignments, Hina!"

"I wouldn't b-believe that," Hinata smiled. "I heard Tsunade close an assignment with you."

Ino giggled. "Sometimes." She admitted as Hinata picked up her handbag and they started heading for the elevator. "Well what about _you_ and _Gaara_?"

"Me and him?" Hinata blushed.

"Yes." Ino said, a manicured finger on the button as they waited for the lift to ride up.

"Nothing much," Hinata said, fiddling with the straps of her bag.

"Really? You almost broke down completely when Gaara disappeared and then got, well- you know. Some of the agents thought you had a thing for him. "

Hinata hesitated. Oh she definitely had feelings for him, but they didn't say anything about their relationship with each other. Was it lingering somewhere between friends and lovers?

_"No. Its called being flexible and making full use of the opportunity." His eyes dropped to her navy blue dress, which fell before her knees. _

Hinata swallowed.

"Yeah," She mumbled.

* * *

Thanks!


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **This is bad. Okay, I won't tell you anything, so you'll just read. I'm scared. I think I'm gonna get bashed quite alot somewhere below. *Shrieks. Hope I didn't write something too cheesy down there. Some characters there don't signify anything important, but Temari's role is important- at least a little. She cares about Gaara and worries alot about him I guess.

By the way, I killed off Ishikawa so that I could handle things easily. I'm evil. :O Thanks to you guys for your feedback! It keeps me going. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**17.**

Hinata was quite surprised the next day when she saw a blob of bright red in Tsunade's office, realising that it was _Gaara _himself. She wondered what he was doing here. Wasn't he supposed to rest? Three bullet wounds, for god's sake.

Then again, he was an agent, and even Sasuke had already started assignments, albeit light ones like Kiba due to his speedy recovery from the haemorrhage. (Were the men all mutants or what?) The redhead was in there for quite long, and the Hyuuga busied herself with the list that the police HQ had sent to her. It contained all the names of the females who had been in contact with Kusugi Masato before he went into hiding. They were to head down to the police station by a certain day and time.

Hinata saw Kiku's name somewhere in the middle of the list, her status being as of now, uninterrogated. Around at least 70% of the women had reported, and the deadline was today. She filed away the list.

In the midst of Argon's delayed capture of the Kusugis, there had been just slight pressure from the media and the citizens. The discovery of Ishikawa Izumo's dead body did not help much either.

Hinata sensed slight activity from the head's office and she swiveled her head, catching Gaara coming out from Tsunade's office. He had a black shoulder holster on over his white shirt, and his hair was ruggishly tousled as always. The redhead didn't seem to notice her however, for he had made his way towards the elevator and disappeared behind the doors.

The Hyuuga turned back to her seat and concentrated on the files instead. If Ishikawa had been knifed, then either twins would have to purchase a knife. Daiki had wrote in his report that Ishikawa had been stabbed once only, with something the likes of a 10-15 cm knife. The female picked up her own ruler, which was accurately 15 cm and tapped her cheek with it. The murderer would have to dispose the blood stained knife if he didn't want to be caught with such an item. In addition, he would have to do it some place, where he made sure not much mess was made. Hinata scanned the report again carefully, white eyes catching on the word _clothes_.

Aha.

Picking up the phone, she pressed some numbers.

"Takeuchi Daiki speaking."

"Daiki, this is Hinata."

"Ah, Hinata-san! How can I help you?"

"Regarding Ishikawa's corpse, the one found at sea? Could you- would you tell me more about his clothes? Can it actually tell us the place he was murdered?"

"Hmmm...." Daiki contemplated. "Hang on a sec. Hey, just cover the guy up first!" He called to someone. The Hyuuga heard a faint 'Ok', and wondered if 'the guy' was alive...or not.

"Sorry about that. The body's - Ishikawa Izumo - clothes were pretty much soaked by sea water, and you do know that sea water contains salt. It could have washed away some fibres possibly, and taking into account that the corpse probably met with waves, then you'll have something like clothes tumbling around in a washing machine. There were blood and mud stains though, but it could have been from the ocean...or land."

"Oh..." Hinata deflated like a balloon. "I see. Well thank you then, Daiki."

"You're welcome."

She hung up and added what Daiki had said to the report, leaning back to rub her forehead. She hoped the chase would end soon.

Afternoon crawled by slowly, and the Hyuuga brightened when she realised that the latest report from the police HQ had been released to her. It stated that Kusugi Michio had owned a yacht in Takigakure, but not much was said about it. He had plentiful of contacts, however, it seemed that most of them weren't too willing to help a man who could be the murderer of the drug lord. Nearly all of them had been contacted with the police, and it was quite evident that sheltering the brothers would be of no good to them.

_Yacht..._ The word echoed inside her.

Oh well. She was tired of conversing via the phone. Might as well grab a lunch and then make a visit to the headquarters.

* * *

Noting that she hadn't got much of an appetite, Hinata managed to down a bowl of porridge before hurrying to the main division of Konoha's police force.

She met the same policeman who had stood guard outside Gaara's ward just as he was descending the stairs on her right, and the officer's face brightened considerably.

"Hello," He greeted.

Well. He certainly was outgoing.

"Hi," She smiled a bit. "I'm an agent from Argon. I have some questions regarding the Kusugi case. Can I have a word with Superintendent Kentara?"

"Oh sure," He shot her a bright smile. "I'll take you to him, Ms..." The officer looked at her expectantly.

"Hyuuga," She offered a smile.

"Alright Ms Hyuuga. This way please."

She followed him to the elevators and they rode up to the third level, and she caught his surname emblazoned on the uniform - Uchiha.

Oh. That explained his dark hair and eyes. It wasn't of much surprise to find many officers and lieutenants with the surname of Uchiha. Almost 60% of Konoha's officers had the same surname. In fact, this man could very well be Sasuke and Itachi'scousin in law or something like that.

The Uchiha brought her to his office where he knocked on the Superintendent's door gently.

"Come in."

Hinata stepped in and smiled warmly at the well built middle aged man sitting behind the desk. He looked up and nodded at the young officer, who left the room.

"Hyuuga Hinata from Argon, I believe," Kentara chuckled and stood up as he shook her hand. "Have a sit."

"Yes. Thank you."

"You're the one with the Kusugi case." He started, shaking his head. "We are dredging up as much information as we can from the contacts they made, and to pinpoint their location."

"Well," Hinata nodded and blushed a bit. "Your officers have been working well. I have a favour to ask, however."

"No problem," Kentara leaned forward.

"In the report released," Hinata watched as he pulled out a file from a pile nearby. "It was written that Kusugi Michio had a yacht in Takigakure. Could you locate the yacht then?"

Kentara studied the report.

"Has it got something to do with Ishikawa's death? He was dumped in the sea."

"Precisely. I- I think they could have thrown him off some boat or maybe Michio's own yacht. Perhaps that is why we have been unable to locate and find both of them. Neither Michio nor Masato has touched their money in the bank account, which signifies that they haven't withdraw any money yet."

Kentara nodded.

"That is a very good hypothesis. And I assumed you've alerted the Coast guards?"

"Yes," Hinata blushed slightly.

"Alright. I will have my men find the yacht for you. Let's hope we will hit a jackpot then, Ms Hyuuga."

* * *

Hinata left the Superintendent's office a few minutes later, and was surprised to see a very familiar G5 parked outside the building, thegray walls of the headquarters reflected on the windows of the vehicle.

"Hinata,"

The Hyuuga whirled eagerly and smiled when she saw the redhead behind her, one hand in the pocket of his dark slacks.

"Gaara," She started.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned as he fished out his car keys and the car beeped obediently.

"Oh, you know, the Kusugi case," Hinata replied lightly, her thumping heart increasing its pace.

"Oh," The redhead raised an eyebrow. "And why are you alone?"

"Well, not everyone on the team needs to come." Hinata said as he opened the car door for her, green eyes flitting over her features sharply, as though he was contemplating something. "Thank you."

She slid in and he shut the door, getting in on the other side.

"Are you going back to Argon?"

Gaara nodded as he started the engine and she probed shyly on his presence at the HQ.

"I had an assignment," He said evasively. "Which just ended."

The Hyuuga's eyes widened.

"Yeah, that fast," Gaara said rather dryly.

"Isn't that good?" She asked, touching his hand.

The redhead accelerated when he spotted the traffic lights turning orange. "Sometimes." He smirked at her. "Although I do feel that Tsunade's hesitant to give me heavy duty assignments."

"You have to be patient," She spoke softly. "It'll be back to normal one day."

Gaara grunted, but he didn't seem convinced.

* * *

By evening, Hinata was quite certain that she would be able to get the twins soon, but how soon was soon, she didn't know. She didn't have a clue. For all she knew, this case could go on for months, and even years. The longer a case remained unsolved, the harder it seemed to find the targets. The darkhaired woman was quite sure the police officers would be able to tell her something about Michio's yacht and she found herself anticipating Kentara or the Coast guard's calls, her resolve to hunt them down strengthening.

Hinata had a word with Tsunade about the progress (or lack thereof) with the case, although the head wasn't in _that _much of a hurry to close it.

Thus, the Hyuuga had exited the building only recently when something warm slipped into her hand and she looked up, startled. She relaxed when Gaara's physique loomed abover her own, her hand grasped firmly in his.

"Gaara?"

"Hm?" He asked as he steered her to his car.

"Were you - waiting for me?"

"No," He said, although his tone seem to imply otherwise, as though on purpose.

"No?" She teased.

He leaned down to kiss the corner of her mouth as he opened the door for her again, like he had done several hours ago. The Hyuuga's cheek turned pink, and she got in.

Hinata didn't ask where Gaara was going, and neither did he tell her. He just drove, until she knew that he was bringing her home. She felt slightly queasy, although the cause of it was unknown.

She didn't have much to think because when the elevator doors slid close in front of them, Gaara pulled her close and kissed her hungrily as she placed her palms on his hard forearms and clung to him as her legs turned to butter.

Thankfully, there was no one waiting for a lift when they reached his apartment, or Hinata would have died straight away from embarrassment. The redhead kept her close, breaking the kiss only when he had to fish out his house keys. He stared at her heatedly as he placed the key into the lock and turned while Hinata herself was gazing at him, her lips swollen and parted.

He wasn't making full use of his dexterity with his fingers, for the tall agent was fumbling with the keys, and Hinata almost giggled at the sight. Gaara did get through, and his keys sailed somewhere behind his shoulder as he grabbed her waist, kicked the door shut and fused his lips to hers all at the same time.

He moved her back until she was trapped between his hard body and the wall, her heart picking up speed. Hinata couldn't see him very clearly, because he hadn't bothered to switch on the lights at all. Nevertheless, she cupped his cheek as she kissed him back passionately, his large palms sliding down to her hips.

She would ask herself later- Did she love him?

Something close? Or...

Something exactly like love?

But she didn't know, she thought hazily as he nuzzled her neck, fingers pushing her hair over her shoulder as his incisors sunk into the smooth flesh and she fisted his shirt with her hands. Gaara's hold on her tightened.

"I won't hurt you." He murmured as he withdrew, although his jade eyes glinted with hunger, like something a doe would see when faced with a jaguar.

"I-I k-know." She whispered as his hands started to wrestle with her buttons of her blue shirt, and the first one came off as she slipped her fingers through his crimson hair, the second also following the first. Then the third came off as well, and the fourth, but Gaara stopped there and bent to kissed her again while she reciprocated with a sweet one.

He returned to his job of undoing buttons again, and when the fifth, sixth and seventh had all been undone, he pushed away the fabric and eased it off her shoulders as the Hyuuga stared at him, breathing hard, her pale eyes shining in the dark.

What did this meant?

Gaara dropped his head to her chest and Hinata held onto his long, unruly hair tightly as sensations she had never felt before hurled through her rapidly, sometimes ticklish, sometimes overwhelmingly pleasurable and-

She cried out softly.

The Hyuuga pulled him closer to her, his hands, now as though fire, was burning into her skin as he clutched her tightly. Something tight balled up in her chest as she looked at his broad shoulders, blooming by the second as a tear fell. Hinata didn't know why she cried and for whom, but she knew that she didn't want to see him hurt; she wanted to tell him that she desired to protect him so badly, but she couldn't make out a word at all.

Gaara moved up to her again, this time reaching round to undress her of her garments and her pencil skirt, hands curled loosely into fists as he allowed her white underwear to drop, hair disheveled. She moved her hands to her chest to shield herself, but he caught them and held them in his hands.

"It's okay."

What was even more amazing was that they way his pure green eyes looked- lust dominated it, but there was some sort of awe in his orbs as he watched her, breath coming in short pants.

Hinata shifted her weight lightly to her right foot, realising that she was still wearing her heels...and uh, nothing else.

"Damn." Gaara swore. "_Damn_ _it, _Hinata_._"

Hinata flushed as heat shot through her, although she didn't quite get what he meant. His voice was husky and close to a growl, as though he was a carnivore diving for the kill. And the way he had said her name...

_Oh god. Oh god._

Gaara pulled her to him again, the smooth material of his shirt grazing her torso, her body turning extremely sensitive by the second. She ran her fingers through his hair, eyeing the shoulder holster and shirt he had on through dazed eyes. Hinata was reluctant to let go of the redhead's locks although she would have loved to help him with his clothes. Her breath hitched as he dropped to on knee in front of her suddenly, feeling terribly cold. The redhead pulled off her heels and Hinata smiled shakily down at him. He had remembered her shoes. Well he didn't look like the sort that would remember about such minor details.

"Gaara," She called, her voice pleading as she pulled him up.

"I'm still clothed." Gaara warned her. "You're slow, Hina."

"I like the f-feel of your hair," She blushed a fiery red.

"You can do anything to it_ later, _hime_._" He scooped her up and she squealed, clinging to his neck. The redhead dropped her on his bed, cool sheets meeting her as she shivered a little. He pulled off his shoulder holster quickly, the firearm in it falling with a dull thunk as he unbuttoned his shirt. Hinata helped him with the lower ones and she half laughed, half sighed as he finally shrugged the thing off and he slipped out of his slacks.

Gaara's musculature was illuminated by the street lamps outside, the contours and lines sometimes dipping into the dark and then appearing back into the dim lighting. She stared at him and brushed several strands from her mouth, eyes meeting his glazed ones. The it drifted to his chest, the part where he had been shot. The wound had healed, but Hinata's heart clenched painfully at the sight of it. She raised her fingers as he leaned toward and over her, her blunt fingernails trailing lightly across it as she smoothed it. Her left hand found his arm and she inspected the wound there as well, this one slightly worser than the one on his chest. Burying his face in her neck and hair, Gaara embraced her as she stroked the wounds.

_Please..._She thought. _Please be safe. Always._ Hinata turned her head and nosed his crimson hair as they stayed like that for a few minutes.

It was only_ now_ that she felt fully naked and vulnerable, her knees knocking together as Gaara hovered over her. She had never done anything like this before, and she briefly wondered if Gaara knew about it.

"I- I'm a, a-"

"I know," He said deeply, leaning over her, his elbows supporting his weight as he soothed her hair, head coming down to kiss her on the lips. Hinata trembled finely, but the redhead slid his palms up and down her body, warming her up as he allowed his lower half of his body to rest lightly on hers. Hinata sighed and slipped her small hands onto his chest, running them all over his torso, past his shoulders, and down to his sinewy back as it rippled in response. She herself moaned softly when he took one warm, full breast into his hand and fondled it, her fingers digging a little into his shoulders.

"S-sorry," She whispered, as she bit back a moan.

"You're not hurting me." Gaara chuckled near her collarbone and Hinata decided that she liked the way his voice seemed to resonate through her body. His other hand had found its twin, and he repeated his ministrations as he watched the woman underneath him writhed slightly. Then, he dipped his head again and his tongue flicked out several times, repeating his actions earlier. Hinata moaned sweetly.

If she found this pleasurable, then what about when he made love to her? Gritting his teeth, he resisted the urge to plunge into her warm lush body and hold her tight to him. He kissed her again, harder than he would have liked, but the redhead found that he couldn't quite stop, and Hinata was of no help either when she responded with her inviting lips. It only coaxed him further to kiss her breathless and he pulled her up for a moment towards him, off the bed. It must have been quite some time before they finally stopped, panting, and Hinata found herself pushing against Gaara's torso persistently, the aching need in her womb making her plead with her lover.

"Yes, hime?" Gaara asked, kissing her jaw.

"Can- I- Now." She finally mumbled, dragging him down slightly by his hair. She wasn't particularly gentle, but he didn't feel as though she was going to yank his locks out of his scalp either.

"What, hime?"

"Please, Gaara," She pleaded. "Take me. T-take me now."

"I'll take you. Now." He growled. "But you _must_ tell me to stop if you can't take it."

That was going to take a lot of willpower on his part, but then, he was Sabaku Gaara after all.

"O-okay."

* * *

Somewhere in the middle of the night - it could have been midnight, early morning, or morning, but Gaara nor Hinata hadn't bothered to find out - Hinata awoke to find her head against his chest, right hand on it while his arm was snaked around her waist, the other inertwined with her left hand. She blinked and lifted her head, the traces of sleep moving away very slowly. Her body was sore and aching, but she didn't seem to be aware of it, because Hinata could feel his heartbeat faintly. Hinata smiled at him. Her eyes fell to his disheveled hair, the locks which she had ran through so many times and were the cause of its disarray. Her gaze dropped further, and she winced a little. He had been sleeping against the headboard of his bed- she knew he would have a stiff neck eventually.

"Gaara," She whispered, stroking his cheek. He blinked and forest green orbs looked up at her, his lips curving into a slow, sexy smile as his grip on her hand tightened.

Smiling, she kissed his forehead. "Change your position, or you'll get a stiff neck, Gaara. She got off him, although he was slightly reluctant about this change. Then his eyes ran down her curves as she moved, and he leaned forward to kiss her breast.

Hinata started, and blushed wildly as he slid down smugly on the pillows, his head resting on one arm. The Hyuuga lay down beside him, her arm across his abdomen as Gaara braced his chin ontop of her head. She reached for his hand and found it, resuming its former position.

He'd made love to her twice already, the second time more tender as he took his time to explore her curves, figurations and bumps. When she came for the second time, she found an urge to say something to him, something she wasn't even so sure of herself. Was it already programmed into her brain, that when she came, she was inclined to whisper that to him, because all the female leads from those romance novels said that all the time? Did she mean it?

Hinata swallowed thickly, emptiness eating a little into her as she stopped her tracing of his muscles.

"What's wrong?" Gaara's voice asked, a little sleepily.

"N-nothing," She murmured.

He didn't probe anymore, but it left Hinata more confused than ever.

Something familiar sounded from outside the hallway, and Hinata sat up a little, realising that it was her cell phone ringing. Pulling out the sheets, she wrapped it around herself.

"I'm sorry." She said, smiling a bit. "It's my phone. Go back to sleep."

The redhead nodded as she hurried outside and pulled it out of her bag and answered it.

"Hinata?" Tsunade's voice rang from the other end. The Hyuuga's eyes widened.

"T-Tsunade?"

"Sorry to wake you up at 3 a.m. in the morning, but Superintendent Kentara has just phoned me to say he located Kusugi Michio's yacht. It's leaving Konoha very soon; I don't know when, but he says the yacht has got a brunette in it, and he ordered his men not to approach it first. I need you to get down to Port City now - and don't wear a skirt for god's sake. I think its gonna get a little messy."

* * *

I like shoulder holsters. Alot. *Grins.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** This chapter's kinda...cheesy, cliched and sardonic. A little I guess. I read Shubaltz Crazist's review about the bomb and laughed like a hyena.

8-) Enjoy anyway!

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

_1 out of 5 assignments Argon agents take on are likely to fail._

* * *

**18.**

The minute Hinata got off the phone, she started to pick up the clothes around her and buttoned up her shirt as Gaara appeared to the door way of his room, clad in his black boxers. He studied the way she moved about with his jade eyes.

Responding to the frantic phone call, a part of Hinata went '_Finally_!' but the other part was complaining - She had to leave Gaara now. Hinata grabbed her handbag and dropped her cell phone in it. Tsunade's words kept ringing in her ears. "_It's leaving Konoha very soon; I don't know when, but he says the yacht has got a brunette in it."_

"What happened?" He asked sharply, grabbing her elbow.

"I- We've got a lead." Hinata said hurriedly as she pulled up her skirt. "I'm going down to Port City."

"I'll drive you there," The redhead picked up his shirt, but she stopped him. "No, Gaara. It's fine. I'll t-take a taxi. Really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Positive." Hinata put on her shoes and picked up her handbag. He _couldn't_ go. "I'm sorry," She said, touching his arm a warm smile crossing her features temporarily. "I'll see you later alright?"

"Hm." Gaara kissed her on the lips. "Be careful."

"I will." She murmured.

Hinata made sure she had everything in her bag and finally made her way to the door as the redhead followed her. She exited and glanced at him, opening her mouth as he leaned his muscled arm against the frame. Then she shut it quickly.

"What is it?" Gaara asked. "You wanted to say something?"

"I-" She stared at him. "I just- I feel t-tha- uh, I- "

The redhead leaned closer to her. "What?"

"I- I love y-you_."_

_Why did you have to say that? You're scaring him!_

The redhead was staring at her. There was nothing in his green eyes that she could see, could read; just a blank, clear gaze that bordered incredulousness so _very very_ slightly.

There was silence for a few seconds, when Hinata realised rather foolishly that he was probably _not _going to say anything. Her face hot with shame, she mumbled a 'Bye' and rushed off to the lift, a sinking feeling gleefully appearing as her vision became blinded with tears. She entered the lift and pressed the button labeled one, hard.

She'd been so thick headed.

He had probably slept with her because she hadn't resisted him or stopped him. Maybe that was what he wanted afterall. She bit her tongue hard and swept away salty tears, her hair in a tangle around her. There was a dull ache in her head, and her chest where her heart lay, as cliched as it sounded. She felt pain everywhere, and her sore muscles and limbs had intensified to sharp pangs.

And she needed to find jeans, or pants or whatever. Where the hell was she supposed to get them?

The door opened and Hinata was thankful that there wasn't anyone at this hour, (There wouldn't be anyone at this hour, she would retort to herself. Seriously. She was going mad.) because she looked liked a mess, with rumpled hair and creased up clothes.

Sobbing unconsciously, she flipped opened her phone as she walked out into the cool air - it was still dark, the sky a grayish tinge to the east perhaps, and very silent. Holding back her tears as she wiped them away with her hands, she dialled Ino's number. The blonde picked up on the fourth ring, sounding fresh and perky (Must have been doing undercover work or something).

"Oh my god. Hinata, you're _crying_!" Was the first thing Ino said.

"N-no, no, I-Ino, wait, I n-need something." Hinata babbled. "I h-have to go- do-down, n-now, I need a p-pair of jeans, or just -pants. A-and a firearm. N-now p-please." She hiccuped loudly.

"Jeans? Pants? Firearm? Wait, okay, I'll bring it to you. Calm down now, okay? Tell me whe- No, that's stupid. I can identify where you are."

"I'll walk to the nearest b-bus- s-stop."

"Oh okay. Just hang on. I'll be there in a jiffy, Hinata."

"T-thank y-you, Ino." Hinata sobbed harder.

"No problem. Dry your tears. I'm coming soon."

The blonde hung up, and the Hyuuga walked briskly ahead, the cool night air refreshing her up. She broke into a sort of a jog and run, hoping Gaara wouldn't try to find her. Sitting down on the bench, she combed her fingers through her hair, and smoothed it hurriedly. Moments ago, a certain redhead had been touching it, and now, now-

Hinata broke into silent tears again and bowed her head, shoulders moving.

She hoped Ino wouldn't probe, and then started blaming herself - Indeed, she had brought this upon herself! If she hadn't said anything, then maybe Gaara wouldn't have seemed so incredulous. And of course, Gaara couldn't say anything - what could he say? He didn't have women telling him they loved him everyday; of course he would be stumped. He was probably going _'What the hell?'_ back there.

"Stupid. S-stupid!" She whispered fiercely.

There was the sound of tyres screeching, and a white Sharingan swung into view, its headlights blinding her a little. Hinata stood up and staggered a bit as the car stopped beside the pavement smoothly.

Ino rolled down the window, and leaned over to it.

"Hina! Get in!"

Hinata pulled open the door and got in, feeling rather tired and drained. She shook herself mentally, closing her eyes as she allowed her mind to still and calm down.

There was something crucial going on now, and this was not the time to let emotions run in and destroy the opportunity to capture the Kusugis. She would take care of personal stuff later, and concentrate on this one. Now.

"Hey, hey, you okay?" Ino asked, her sapphire eyes bright and worried as they flicked from the windscreen to her.

"Yes," Hinata smiled a bit. "Could you drop me off at the train station?"

"Where do you want to go? I'll drive you there." Ino ordered.

"I don't want to bother you, Ino," Hinata said, "And I have something urgent I need to do right now."

"I have to go to Port City you know," The blonde answered. "For backup. I can drop you off somewhere."

"Port City?" Hinata asked, surprised. "Tsunade called-"

"Okay, that means we're together." Ino reassured.

The Hyuuga nodded quickly. "That's good."

The agent stepped on the gas, and Hinata hoped that the yacht hadn't left Konoha's waters. Yet.

* * *

When Hinata and Ino arrived, the former in jeans already, there didn't seem to be any sign of activity; moreover, there was not a single police officer in sight. Rubbing her eyes a little, Hinata blinked as the wind ruffled her hair.

"They're keeping it low," Ino observed sharply.

The firearm pressed against Hinata's abdomen slightly as she moved, reminding her of the weapon's presence. "I suggest we head nearer to the port a little."

"Sure," Ino said. "This is kind of relaxing actually. The _weather_ I mean. Definitely not the situation."

"And its only 4:05," Hinata glanced up from her watch and smiled. "People are going to find it suspicious."

"I'll text Superintendent Kentara." Ino flipped open her cell phone while Hinata led the way to the port. She discreetly flashed the guard there her ID, and he nodded them through. "Some plain clothes officers are on the left."

Ino stopped her texting and slipped the gadget into her pocket.

"Alright. Thank you." Hinata smiled politely and entered, Ino following her.

The blonde grabbed her elbow and steered her to the left, Hinata's palms starting to become sweaty. This time, maybe this time, she'd hit jackpot, just like what Kentara had said.

Then, the Hyuuga recognised the young Uchiha officer who had showed her to the Superintendent's office and headed for him briskly.

"Hello, Ms Hyuuga," He greeted, smilingly winningly. Hinata smiled back faintly. "Officer Uchiha," She acknowledged. "I believe you identified Kusugi Michio's yacht?"

"Yes." He said, turning a little. "It is over there, further up, but we haven't got any signs of activity or struggle. Yet."

"There is a woman on board?" Ino questioned.

"Ah yes. We identified her as Toshihiko Kiku, a model. So far, she hasn't made any move to get down."

"Okay." Ino said, striding forward. "Whos's in charge here?"

"Corporal Keiichi, Ms.."

"Yamanaka."

"Ms Yamanaka," He said respectfully. "There he is."

A tall man with a moustache was standing away from the,, watching the harbor in a very relaxed way. Ino suddenly grinned. "I've met him before." She whispered to Hinata. "A very nice man."

"Corporal Keiichi." She called as she neared him.

The man turned and his black eyes lit up.

"Morning Ino-san," He raised a hand. "My dear," He said to the Hyuuga suddenly. "Are you alright?"

Ino glanced at her partner, looking as though police officers behaved just like her own father. The Hyuuga was surprised. Trust a Corporal to be so fatherly!

"Yes sir," She blushed and nodded. "I am fine. Thank you."

"And what is your name?"

"Hyuuga Hinata,"

"And so I thought. Hinata-san, since you're the one in charge of this assignment, I will allow you to command my men," The Corporal said. "What you need them to do, they will do."

"Oh." The Hyuuga stared at him. Gods. "_Oh_. A-alright. But, what do you think we should do now? Should we g-get on the yacht and request Ms Toshihiko to, um, leave it?"

Keiichi-san stroked his moustache.

"Maybe we should wait till Kusugi Michio or Masato appears. Are you sure that the yacht has only a person onboard?" Ino questioned, her gaze skeptical.

"Officer Uchiha," Keiichi called. "Please confirm the number again. We checked only twice. It won't do more harm to check again."

"Yes sir." The dark haired man went off.

Hinata thought hard. If Michio and Masato were on board, then _why_ in the world was Kiku with them?

"Ladies, if you will follow me, I'll take you to a place to keep an eye on the yacht while you remain hidden."

Hinata and Ino followed Keiichi, walking past a beautiful white yacht with wood linings, bobbing gently on the clear water.

"That's it?" Hinata murmured.

"Yes, Hinata-san. Come." He led them to a warehouse, where a table was set up and several men were gambling, some guffawing loudly. She figured them to be undercover police officers. The officer whom she knew was talking to another leaner man with pale hair. Both were grinning, but their eyes said otherwise. A minute later, the pale haired man was conversing on his handphone. The Uchiha had returned to the table and sat down with the men.

Ino raised her eyebrows.

"We have one of my men monitoring the boat, but he's doing it through the warehouse because the concrete walls are not considered a barrier to our binoculars. Ms Hyuuga, perhaps you are familiar with them?"

Of course she knew about those binoculars. They were arguably the first piece of gadget Hyuuga Corp had designed and created. No matter what was blocking the normal viewer, it did not stand as an obstacle to the binoculars however.

"We should interact with Ms Toshihiko." Hinata said. "Perhaps she can-"

"Sir!" The pale haired man approached Keiichi-san immediately, an urgent look in his eyes. "Kusugi Masato has appeared briefly. He retreated to the cabins only just."

Keiichi's eyes sharpened. "Very good. Hinata-san?"

"Have the officers surround the yacht, as close as possible, and remain hidden." Hinata said rather hesitantly at first. "I will uh, go up, followed by Ino and then your men perhaps. Then we will try to surround the Kusugis and capture them."

Ino nodded slowly.

Keiichi agreed and commanded his men while Hinata and Ino put on earpieces and moved to the yacht, calmly stepping up closer and took in the shape of the yacht. The Hyuuga stepped onto the deck, Ino following noiselessly behind. She gestured for the officers to surround the yacht.

They rounded the deck and found a sliding door. Kiku glanced up, her eyes wide. She shook her head violently, and Hinata wondered why she didn't dare to move or speak - the model wasn't bound or gagged. The door was, however, locked.

_No_, the brunette mouthed furiously to the two women._ No._

"What's wrong with her?" Ino asked curiously, eyes narrowed.

"She-" Hinata breathed as realisation dawned on her. "There's something strapped onto her back. I think- I think its a b-_bomb_."

"_What_?" The blonde hissed, eyes wide. "_Bomb_?"

"Something l-like that," Hinata whispered.

A shadow fell across Kiku, making Ino and Hinata spring away as they moved into the column of wall, hiding themselves.

"Who were you talking too?" A rough voice asked, albeit a little muffled through the thick glass.

Ino, her back flat against the surface, directed her ice blue orbs west. Neither women said anything.

"N-no one," Kiku replied shakily.

"You'd better not try escaping, my dear. Or I'll blast your gorgeous body into little pieces."

"I-I won't!"

Hinata's heart nearly stopped cold when footsteps advanced. The officers who were facing them from the cemented ground ducked swiftly.

Hinata swallowed.

Silence.

Ino released air very slowly, eyes round.

The heavy footsteps sounded again, getting further away this time.

"Officers," The Hyuuga said very softly, she wasn't sure if they heard her. "Do not do anything first."

There were two rogers, one team from the left of the yacht, the other from the right.

The blonde adjacent to her held up one finger, two fingers, three, four then five. Hinata moved in front of the glass door again at five, her firearm in hand. There was only Kiku seating there, shaking like a leaf.

Ino gestured silently to her to open the door, but the model shooked her head, eyes wild. She pointed a finger to her back, and the blond held up her hands in a pacifying gesture.

"Hyuu-"

There was a hard push from behind and Hinata whirled, her gun held up. She lifted her leg and kicked the assailant at the side of his knees and he buckled, staggering a bit while Ino leapt forward to defend her. Kusugi Masato cursed, shielding himself with a knife as the blonde's gun scratched against metal, followed by a gunshot. Ino missed, and Masato flashed his knife while she pulled her torso back gracefully. The police officers surrounding them were watching them, alert, pistols pointed to Masato. Then they fired, bullet holes appearing behind the two, who seemed to be dancing their way through the whizzing bullets.

"Do not fire!" Hinata panted to her earpiece to the officers. The firing ceased.

Ino gasped as something black flew through the air like a crow. There was a soft splash, and cold dread rushed in when Hinata realised that Ino's gun had been thrown overboard. Hinata aimed for Kusugi's leg and fired, her palms cold. The bullet grazed his pants and lodged itself behind him.

Crap.

Hinata ran forward as Masato engaged in close combat with Ino this time, his knife flashing eerily. Her kicks and punches were sharper and swifter, but it couldn't even be compared to Ino's; lethal, yet still able to defend herself. Hinata was afterall, not a fully recruited agent.

"Hina, go to Kiku!" The blonde ducked as the knife glinted above her head, Kusugi grunting. The Hyuuga made a last effort to wound Masato and did so successfully in his shoulder blade. A feeling of accomplishment soared through her as she turned to the sliding door and shot it, sideways so that Kiku wouldn't risk being hurt.

The glass shattered like diamonds all over the floor and Hinata lifted a leg over the jagged edges to reach Kiku. She placed a hand on the model's shoulder. "Are you alright?" Concern was etched in her pale eyes.

"I'm scared," She trembled. "There's a bomb on me I think."

"Alright. You must stay calm. Very calm. Keiichi," Hinata pressed her cold, trembling hand to her ear. "Let the officers enter the yacht now."

"Roger."

The yacht dipped a little and rocked as several thuds were heard, followed by shouts and then more gunfire. A sudden sharp, yanking sensation shot through her scalp, making the Hyuuga gasped as she aimed her gun over her shoulder and fired.

"You missed, darlin'," A deep voice laughed near her neck. It was the _same_ voice that she had heard minutes ago.

Her body started to move backwards, and the Hyuuga struggled wildly. Her hold on the gun was beginning to loosen. Kicking off her footwear, she dug her heels in as hard as she could into the floor and gripped her weapon, preparing to knock the wind out of him with her elbow.

"No, I don't think so," Her assailant snarled, and he twisted her wrist so sharply, she cried out in pain, her fingers_ still_ curled tightly around the firearm. This had to be Kusugi Michio, although she couldn't see his profile.

"Drop the gun, or I'll shoot you," Michio ordered, and there was a dull thunk near her head, just above her ear, which she knew from past experiences was the barrel of a gun.

"I-I'll drop," Hinata gasped, her palms sweaty as she released the gun slowly, finger prints covering it. "I'll d-drop." She lowered her hand, blood pounding through her veins as she blinked tiredly. When the gun was an inch away from the floor, Hinata whirled expertly, leg coming Michio's way as she connected hard with his ankle. He screamed and fired, the glass behind Kiku shattering in the process while the model ducked and whimpered. Hinata's limbs protested, making her wince a little.

"You WHORE!"

There was a flash of skin, and something landed hard on Hinata's ear, sweeping past her cheek. It stung badly, but the agent blinked back tears, jumping to her feet quickly, right in front of Kiku. There was no time to whine or cry now.

Something prodded hard into her neck, Hinata's own firearm facing Michio's chest.

White eyes flitted across his features, which were exactly the same as Kusugi Masato's; the same boyish good looks despite their age. His mouth lifted up into a full smile.

"If you fire, I'll blast the model and the yacht apart so that you know the bomb's real. Sounds good?" He held up a long tube, with a red button above it.

Hinata, who was trembling under her skin, remained in her stance; legs apart, muscles tensed. The image she was portraying was far from what she was feeling inside - She feared this type of confrontation the most, where she wasn't as seasoned as full time agents who did not stay at Argon, sitting on her butt all day while she worked tirelessly at the computer.

_I'll have to get Kiku out. And I need the Bomb Disposal Squad. I'm wasting my time, thinking about my lack of experiences. _

"Hyuuga-san!" A voice rang out from the shattered sliding door. It was the Uchiha officer, in the same stance as Hinata, although both his hands were plastered to his gun, barrel faced at Michio.

"Don't move, pretty boy, or I'll shoot both of them _and_ detonate the bomb. Both of you," He gestured with his pistol at the agent and the officer. "Put the bloody guns down. _Now_."

Black eyes darting to her white ones, Hinata nodded at the man as she lowered her gun again as Michio stepped closer. "You," He hissed. "No more funny tricks." Cold metal kissed her forehead, the petite agent trembling as she kneeled. There was a painful shriek - Ino's - and Hinata yearned to raise her head to check if her partner was alright. The officer had surrendered his weapon as well. This time, more police officers had surrounded the cabin, although all of them had frozen in their respective spots, eyes glazed and concentrated. Hinata knew they didn't dare fire, because they would inevitably be risking her life. All of them looked tensed and furious, particularly Corporal Keiichi.

"Pretty boy," Michio chuckled darkly, still in the mood to laugh. The Uchiha shot him a fiery look. "Get my brother here." Gritting his teeth, the Uchiha could only obey his orders as he disappeared behind view. There was a shout, and Ino yelled something incoherent. A few seconds later, Kusugi Masato, with blood trailing down his shirt appeared as he held a gun loosely with one hand. He wiped his mouth and his hand came away with blood stains.

Ino was supported by the Uchiha, her right hand bleeding profusely. The blonde shot a distressed look at Hinata, and her face crumpled.

"Everybody-" Michio greeted politely. "I'm afraid your little, ah, attack, has gone wrong. I have your agent _kneeling_ here in front of me, and a model with a bomb strapped to her. It is quite obvious what will happen if I do not get what I want."

"Ig-Ignore him," Hinata rasped, her throat dry and parched. She was so very tired. "Ino," She pleaded. "N-no matter what, y-you have t-to get them."

Masato laughed.

"Why, she's willing to be the sacrificial lamb! _Officers_!" He snarled at the end. "Put down your guns. _Put them down_. NOW!" There was a click in front of Hinata's head and she felt the barrel press harder into her sweaty skin.

"What are you waiting for?" Ino half yelled. "Just put the arms _down!_"

Hinata winced as Ino's voice resounded loudly through her earpiece, her heart banging against her ribcage as though it knew it was going to have to escape before it met its death.

The officers obeyed, and Hinata never heard something so depressing as the sound of guns hitting the floorboards amidst the gentle lapping of waves against the yacht.

"Very good," Michio smirked. "Now. I want all of you - every single person here, to _clap_."

_Clap?_

Ino's features tightened in fury.

"CLAP!" He roared, pushing Hinata backwards a little with the gun. The Hyuuga's breath caught, feeling Kiku's feet behind her back.

"Just clap." Ino commanded painfully, her ice blue orbs as hard as the glass which littered the surface like jewels, rough like diamonds. "Clap!" She demanded.

The pale haired officer to Hinata's right placed his palms together, hard, although it sounded more like the slap Hinata had received previously. His green eyes were wrathful. The officer beside him mimicked him, followed by Keiichi. Then the third, fourth and fifth proceeded. Soon, the semi circle of officers were clapping with nary a smile or warmth in them.

Hinata closed her eyes and slid down a little as Kusugi Michio and Masato laughed mockingly, their voices ringing in her ears.

At least she'd told someone she loved him and meant it wholeheartedly.

* * *

Thanks!


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer**: Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**19.**

What the hell did she _meant _by that?

What did it mean?

Why did she say it?

Did _he_...feel that way too?

What the hell _was_ it?

Gaara stared at himself in the mirror as he went on a roundabout chase with the questions, and found himself repeating the first question again like some insane lunatic, not seeing himself at all.

What the hell did she _meant _by that?

Okay. He'd slept with her. Well that was because he liked her. And her curves. Particularly her-

_Stop it._

He would have gladly took her again for the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh...heck, all the way, if she hadn't been pulled out of his bed by Tsunade. She was addictive as hell.

Well, he thought as he let out a frustrated sigh, he'd made _love_ to her (twice at that!), so...

_That is the stupidest of all the stupid answers._

Twisting his fingers, he moved and stood under the shower head as water coursed down through his body, little rivers forming between and over his muscles and abdomen as his crimson hair stucked to his forehead. His index finger found its way to his tattoo and he traced it, knowing exactly where to turn and when to stop.

_"Gaara.....__Why love?"_

Why?

Because when you were fifteen and your mother died from the toll of the numerous beatings she had suffered under his father's hand, you could never, _never_, know what love was. Because when your father got whirled up in his world of booze, women and money, you only experience growing hatred for him day by day when you saw him wrestling with Kankurou and smashing glass bottles in your head while Temari screamed. Because your mother loved your father with all her heart, and yet, she herself died at the hands of the man she loved most.

Because when you loved another, you would get hurt but when you loved only yourself, you knew that you would never betray nor hurt one self.

Gaara gripped the rails beside him, chest heaving. His train of thoughts halted abruptly with a screech as his cell phone rang urgently, green eyes darting out.

The redhead turned off the water and dried himself quickly, draping the towel around his waist. He reached his cell in under three seconds and flipped it opened, slightly irritated and reluctant to talk to anyone just yet.

"Naruto." He acknowledged grudgingly.

"Dude, get your ass to Port City as _fast_ as you can. Complications arising. The Bomb Disposal Squad was called too. I'll talk to you later."

"Wha-"

"Later, okay? Just head there now! We don't have time to waste. Hinata and some woman are being held hostage by the twin Kusugis."

* * *

Gaara accelerated, the G5 obeying at once as it purred and zoomed ahead, passing the red traffic light. Several cars honked obnoxiously, but he ignored them, clenching the steering wheel so tightly that he almost thought it would give way under the pressure. He thanked heavens that his siblings' creation was living up to its name.

_"Hm." He kissed her on the lips. "Be careful."_

He made a sharp turn, jerking the wheel sharply, whizzing pass a sign that probably held the greeting 'Welcome To Port City'. But he was going at such a speed, the words were only a white blurring cloud.

_"I-" She stared at him. "I just- I feel t-tha- uh, I- "_

Gaara moved restlessly in his seat a bit, his shoulder holster grazing the leather. He could feel the firm hard oblong shape of his firearm.

_"What?"_

The redhead saw several police vans parked in the carpark of the beach, more littering the area further up. Officers were communicating via their black handheld transceivers, some running towards the port entrance.

He got out at once, and the sound of a gunshot met his ears, as though mockingly welcoming him.

_"I- I love y-you."_

The sound was all it took to make him sprint past the officers and disposal team.

* * *

Hinata's heart pounded too fast for her own liking, as sweat drenched her entire body. Despite that, she felt very cold, as though the temperature had plummeted as fast as Snow Country's. Her hands were pale, and her knees, ankles and feet ached, but she didn't dare move. She watched as blood trickled down Kusugi Masato's hand as he laughed, dropping onto a tiny piece of glass shard silently. The redness of it reminded her the way Gaara's crimson hair had been whe she held them, slipping through her fingers like silk. The thought of never seeing him again chilled her mind, far colder than the gun Michio pressed against her could have been.

"Alright! Stop! Stop!" The said man called out, mirth in his eyes. "The police...at _my_ command!"

The clapping stopped at once while some officers hissed.

By now, it was quite obvious that Michio gave orders and his brother took them on without much resistance. Masato was clutching his shoulder from Hinata's bullet, pain etched in his eyes. He glared her way when she watched him intently.

"If you will let us go, I will return your agent and the model - in one piece of course - to you. But if any one of you tries anything; you'll never see each other again." Michio declared.

He bent down and leered at Hinata. "Sorry to make your efforts go to waste," He slapped her hard again and Ino moved, but Masato held up his gun warningly.

The Hyuuga's head twisted sideways a little when he slapped her again for the fourth time. She thought she heard something tick faintly in her left ear, but she wasn't so sure. Michio was using far more strength to hit her than when he pulled her hair, and Hinata soon felt blood trickling down her mouth as she gripped her knees, unable to do anything.

"Stop!" Ino started, her voice almost pleading.

"He won't stop until all of you move back, out of the yacht." Masato drawled.

"Move back," Keiichi ordered, his voice tight as slaps resounded again. "Move back at _once_."

"No- uh! Don't!" Hinata opened her mouth as she keeled sideways a little. Her left cheek hurt, as though thousand of needles were piercing into her ear and skin. They couldn't! Just because of _her_, they had to do as the twins said? Well she was nothing. She was just an agent. Why couldn't they just tackle the twins?

"Keiichi-san, just go ahead!" Hinata pleaded.

"Shut _up_!" Michio growled, and dealt a particularly hard one, so much so that Hinata fell. She landed on her palms, flinching as another one came her way.

"_Move_," Masato ordered to the agent and the police, his pain carefully hidden although he had been shot. Ino obeyed, following with quick steps as officers trickled back onto the concrete ground, joining the back up team who had been called. The team had obviously been rendered useless now.

"Good!" Michio called. He turned to Kiku, eyes gleaming. "You. Go up there."

With a squeak, the brunette scurried away, accidentally kicking the Hyuuga in the process. Hinata cringed. She was purely enervated, as though some vacuum cleaner made for sucking out energies had been used on her. Her eyes were half lidded, and the Hyuuga could feel wet tracks left on her cheeks from one or two tears that had made its way down.

"Stand up." He demanded to the Hyuuga, nudging her with his foot. Hinata got to her feet slowly, willing strength back into her legs. She _had_ to stand up. He was probably letting her go. Stumbling with her bare feet, Hinata made her way out to the deck, where there seemed to be more than a hundred pair of concern eyes directed at her. Heat found its way onto her skin, and she felt as though she were going to fall any moment. She was so weak.

Something warm slid down her chin, and she wiped it away, ignoring the red liquid. Her feet were cold, and she made small steps toward Ino, who was trying to get as close to her as possible. The yacht bumped against the hard concrete surface, making her wobble. Ino fearlessly gave her her hand, and the Hyuuga reached towards it, one small foot stepping onto the rough ground. Her other feet left the yacht, and Ino grasped her tight, a smile forming.

Michio grinned.

He added pressure to his trigger as Hinata's eyes dilated for a moment.

There was a cry from the blonde.

"_Hinata_!"

The Hyuuga slid down Ino's body, her knees hitting the ground as she placed a hand to her hip, watching slowly as red coloured her palm. Hinata's left foot dangled above the clear waters, and Ino quickly pulled her closer.

The blonde's face spun and blurred as dark shadows darted past, hot fire searing through her. She wanted to scream and shriek badly, but she didn't have energy to do that. Hinata gasped and her breath hitched.

"Oh my god! _Hinata_! SOMEONE GET THE BLOODY MEDICS! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? _IMBECILES_!"

The Hyuuga herself couldn't hear what Ino was saying, although she was surprised that she was still maintaining her consciousness. She held the wound lightly, hand becoming sticky and slippery with her blood, the scent of iron strong in the air. Ino held her head with an arm, and the blonde grabbed her own purple shirt and held it towards the wound, trying to stop the blood flow.

"Hinata, stay with me please. _Stay with me_. Do you hear me? Respond yes _now_."

"Y-ye-" The Hyuuga struggled painfully, torturously. "Y-yes."

Michio meanwhile had smiled sardonically, throwing a tube at the police officers. One of them caught it.

"Have fun with the bomb!" He waved and saluted as the yacht started to move away slowly. The officer, who was holding the tube growled angrily.

"He's getting awa-"

"DAMN SHIT! OUT OF _MY_ WAY!"

As the police officer darted away, Ino raised her head and saw Naruto, Sasuke and Rock Lee jumping onto the yacht with much fervor, the blonde's face in a nasty snarl. They landed neatly, poised and ready for any attack. Kiku, who had heard Michio's parting words, shrieked with terror shrilly as several policemen tried to pacify her, the fear of being detonated by the bomb along with her not showing.

"Get the BDS people NOW!" Keiichi bellowed, gesturing wildly.

"_Jeez_!" A deep voice said loudly. "We're here, hm! Where's the woman hm?"

A tall man with long blonde hair in a ponytail appeared, carrying a tool box, or whatever the thing was. His long fringe covered one of his blue eyes, and if Ino wasn't so vexed and troubled about Hinata's situation, she would have gaped at him. _This_ man would have to be the leader of the Bomb Disposal Squad.

"Deidara," One of his partners called. "Get the woman seated. She's running around like a headless chicken."

Kiku was brought to Deidara, and he reassured her a little, by saying that 'bombs weren't really that harmful y'know, hm?'. That didn't helped much, because Kiku demanded and begged him to work on the ticking 'clock' behind her quickly.

"Captain, you have 55 seconds left." A man with dark hair said to the blonde as the latter got to work, whistling as though he'd done this every single day.

Ino's attention was brought back to Hinata when Gaara came barrelling for her like a bullet, his face furious, copper hair gleaming wildly, jade eyes glazed with anger.

"Hinata!" He growled as Ino moved back a little, the redhead squatting to level himself with Hinata. One hand came up to her cheek, wiping away blood.

The Hyuuga smiled a bit, her breathing shallower. "H-Hi." She managed, suddenly convulsing as her eyes slid shut and she clenched her teeth while Ino whirled and started screaming her orders again.

"What happened?" He rasped to the blonde.

"Got shot by Michio in the hip." The blonde woman replied shortly. "She needs to get to the freaking hospital _now_."

Gaara slid his palm down her neck as he lifted her, brushing her hair away.

"Hime, look at me. No, don't sleep," He pulled her up a little and kissed her forehead, jade eyes revealing desperation at its peak as Hinata sighed and attemted to close her eyes again.

Gaara moved one of his hands to join hers, which was over her wound. He gripped it as Hinata's orbs fluttered close, a sliver of snow white only visible as the dark haired woman struggled to open her eyes, gulping for air. It was as though her body was taunting him, taunting him that he would never see her again as her blood leaked past his fingers. No matter how much he tried to stop it, it would flow incessantly in great amounts through some small crook between his fingers or nails, finally dripping onto the ground.

The redhead felt fear, fear running rampant through him as he watched his lover, bleeding and cheek raw. He had never been so powerless before, watching Hinata's color drain away gradually, the pain and torture evident in her eyes. He couldn't do anything, not even a single thing for her when a few hours ago, she had been safe in his bed, in his arms.

He pulled her to him.

The Hyuuga's right hand came up to touch his cheek and he felt her warm thick liquid smear onto his skin as she smiled a little, succumbing to tiredness. Her eyes closed.

"_HINATA_!" He gripped her hand, but it seemed to have gone limp.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it._

"Sir," A voice sounded near his ear. "Let her go please. We need to carry her onto the stretcher and see that she receives immediate treatment."

"_Immediate_ treatment!" He snarled, twisting his head. "Why are all of you so slow? Get her on there now!"

Ino helped the medics transfer Hinata onto the stretcher and she had to push Gaara away before he finally released her hand, shirt and fingers stained with Hinata's blood as red as his hair. It was as though he had just murdered someone with his own bare hands.

_I would love to murder someone with my hands though._

"You'd better get after the Kusugis'," Ino said grimly. "I'll follow Hinata. Don't you worry about her. If you can survive a shot to your _chest_, she can survive one on her hip."

The redhead spun around and headed for Itachi, who was gunning the engine of a powerful speedboat. As he wiped his hands on his slacks, his worry slowly became replaced by anger and fury, a storm of violence and ire raging in his mind as he leapt gracefully onto the boat. Itachi greeted him with a curt nonverbal 'I'll drive you shoot' greeting as he threw a UMP over his shoulder, the longer firearm caught by Gaara.

He grunted and positioned himself, the speedboat leaving behind a foam of white angry waves as the Uchiha spun it easily, tailing the yacht. He gained distance quickly and the redhead could make out Sasuke and Michio, Naruto with Masato while Rock Lee tackled _both_ simultaneously. In fact, the three agents were doing pretty well with the twins even without Gaara or Itachi.

Taking aim, the redhead postioned as Itachi halted a little and he fired. He narrowly missed Michio. Cursing, he lifted it again and Itachi shifted the boat closer. Gaara fired, this time hitting Masato instead, square on the back. He fell, Lee and Naruto abandoning him - the bowl haired man joined forces with Sasuke while Naruto went to the helm to steer the yacht back. A police boat was escorting it, some officers jumping on board to arrest the twins.

Itachi braced an arm against the ledge as Gaara prepared for another shot. Michio ducked behind the younger Uchiha, but Gaara followed him, holding back the bullet and waited for Michio to surface. He saw Sasuke fire as irritation spreaded like wildfire.

Itachi chuckled a little.

"My brother finished him off. Let's go back."

Gaara grunted as Itachi turned the boat around in a U shape and headed for the port, pissed by the fact that Sasuke had shot him.

On land, Deidara had approximately ten seconds left to figure out the bomb, with a white faced and fear stricken Kiku seated before him, her knuckles clenched tight while tape ran further around them, creating a circle. She was sobbing pathetically. Police officers stood far away, tense as the Squad and its members knelt by their Captain's side, assisting him. The latter was so confident that he didn't even donned on the neccessary outfits when handling a bomb although his team had done so. Several police officers were extremely skeptical and wary, but they were excited to see what would happen if the bomb _really_ detonated - right in his chiseled face. Deidara had a penchant for not adhering to precautions.

"Uh, Deidara-san," A man wearing a swirly patterned mask, a different face protector apart from the original yellow one with the screen spoke up.

"What _the hell_ do you want? I have a time bomb here y'know, hm?"

"I know that, you _idiot_." The man said childishly while some of the junior members gasped at him.(_How could he say that to their Captain?!!)"_You officially have _five_ seconds left."

"So be it, Tobi," Deidara smirked. "I'll throw it right into your face for extra fireworks." He meddled with the wires and cut the bomb neatly away from the brunette who whimpered. The blonde grabbed the bomb as he sprinted away toward the sea, making the crowd gasp.

"Four, three, two," The team chanted, as though entranced, eyes on the Deidara.

There was an ungraceful plop and splash, as Deidara stood back and peered down.

"_One_." Tobi declared as his fellow member squeaked. "Captain-"

"Holy shit!!"

A regular explosion of fire and debris came up, angry smoke and irate fire the colour of orange-red billowed northwards as the blonde captain ran back and duck down, blue eyes watching the explosion with glee. Kiku screamed hoarsely, while police officers and the Corporal watched with fascination, some yelling as heat spread for a moment.

Officers started to clap and whoop as Deidara stood up and grinned widely while Naruto steered the yacht safe away from the underwater bomb which was of no danger already, as Deidara would reassure later. Kusugi Masato and Michio were unconscious and handcuffed onboard, immediately received by officers upon their arrival back.

This assignment was done. But Hinata was not.

* * *

"He what?" Gaara asked furiously as Ino flinched, her blue eyes leaving her bandaged hand in favour of eyeing Gaara through her fringe.

"He slapped her repeatedly." She said heatedly. "Please guys, if you will just listen carefully, I won't have to repeat the details again. They are not exactly pleasant, alright?" Ino snapped, glaring at Naruto and then Gaara. Sasuke sat passively in the empty room provided, jotting down notes while Lee, whose eyes were already large, were getting _even_ bigger by the minute.

"Bastard." Gaara seethed while Naruto cradled his head, one hand gripping his knuckles tightly.

So far, Ino had been telling her little 'story' to the four agents, who had escaped with little injuries unless you counted scratches. It wasn't exactly a thrilling story session, and Ino partly understood how Gaara was feeling. She had told them the entire drama, from when she fetched a crying Hinata (Gaara was silent here) down to the minute when the rest of the agents had appeared. Naruto had received this with pain but the redhead was struggling to keep his emotions in check. He felt the same kind of wrathful anger when he'd saw Hinata getting violated by that thug, but only this time, it was multiplied by a hundredfold and far stronger. He was angry at himself, at the Kusugis and at _Hinata_.

She'd gone solo, damn it. _Solo_. He thought she had a _team_ with her. Seemed that it was a team alright, but one full of non existent members.

There were two knocks on the door. Wrenching open the door with force, he shot the nurse behind it a cool look, making her step back timidly.

"Uh, Hyuuga Hinata-san is being wheeled out of the OT now." She said, feeling a little nervous when 5 pairs of eyes fixed on her. "We got the bullet out alright, but things don't look so good with her ear. Her eardrum's largely perforated and her hearing will become worse gradually."

Ino paled as Lee gasped. "You're saying she may become..."

"Yes," The nurse answered hesitantly.

The redhead stood stock still while Naruto's blue eyes were stunned, Lee bowed his head as Sasuke turned away a little. There was silence for a minute as the nurse swept out noiselessly. The first to make a move was Gaara, who had left the room without uttering a word, Naruto's cerulean eyes following him.

"I'll go see Hinata-chan." He murmured quietly. Lee and Ino stood up.

"We'll go too," Lee said seriously. "Sasuke-san?"

The Uchiha nodded, and the four made their way out.

Gaara was standing outside of the Hyuuga's ward when they arrived, in front of the clear glass window, hands in his pockets. The female blonde moved to stand next to him although he didn't say anything. Hinata was sleeping, her face obscured a little by the respiratory mask. She looked fine, albeit a little paler.

"Hinata was very brave you know," Ino said quietly, her voice at Gaara's shoulder. "Even when Michio held her at gunpoint, she didn't really cry or even whimper. She wasn't that experienced with these sort of things, but I dare say she did very well today. She told the officers to ignore Michio."

Which meant that the Hyuuga wanted the team to go ahead and attack, even if she risked being shot.

Gaara's adam apple bobbed.

After a few minutes, the Yamanaka made her way to the chairs behind them and sat, Lee mimicking her. There was a murmur from Lee who asked her about her hand. Sasuke remained at the window, jet black eyes on the sleeping figure. Naruto stood beside Gaara as though to provide comfort.

"Have you..." He asked so softly, it was practically a whisper. It sounded very strange for the blond to do that. "Have you been _sleeping_ with her?"

Raising his hand, Gaara leaned his arm against the ledge, a palm on the glass. He didn't answer yet, but it wasn't because he was ashamed of speaking the truth.

"Yes."

The blond was surprisingly calm.

"Are you going to dump her or what?" He asked, voice rising slightly at the end. Sasuke glanced sharply at Naruto as he walked over to the vending machine and slid in some coins.

Gaara glared at him.

"What do you mean _dump_ her?"

"So you're serious about her then."

"Since when did you get so smart?"

"Shut up." Naruto smiled a small smile. It disappeared however, a moment later. "Its just that she's," He paused, gestured to the still figure on the bed and swallowed. "She's gonna _be_-"

"I'll get us out of Argon. Then I'll join Kaze and take care of her." He interrupted with some sort of finality, when the idea had in fact just flew out of his mouth, as though it had been his plan all the while. He reckoned Temari would like that.

No, she would love that.

* * *

A/N: I hope I didn't do too badly regarding Gaara's reason for his tattoo. I was absolutely clueless as how to go about that issue. And I made the bomb explode because Deidara would have liked that. :D Itachi becomes James Bond, hehe!! And much thanks to those who reviewed!! I appreciate your comments greatly, even if this story isn't that awesome.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **Wow! Thanks for all your comments, and your willingness to write one for me. I hope you guys enjoyed the story seriously. And by the way, I just like writing bits and pieces about Sasuke here. I don't know why though. That's perhaps one of the reasons why I gave him a haemorrhage. Hehe!!!!

To tell you the truth, I update fast because I can't stand it when I know I have not completed my story yet, so, yeah. B) I hope that I did not disappoint you, the reader, with this chapter and....its _not_ the last one yet.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

Tsunade's rich hazel eyes followed the white envelope as it made its way across her desk, Gaara's fingers leaving it as she took it up.

"I _knew_ it," She sighed, picking it up as she lodged it between her second and third fingers and raised an eyebrow. "I'm just going to ask you another question. You sure about this?"

"Yes." The redhead replied, a short smile gracing his features.

The head sighed.

"Even though you'll still be in Argon for the next month, we'll welcome you back anytime if you express a desire to do that, Sabaku."

Tsunade stood and held out a hand.

Gaara took it.

* * *

**20.**

"That sounds good. Really good." Temari said, crossing her arms across the table as she stirred her tea absentmindedly.

"Yeah," Kankurou added. "Our _door_ will always be opened to y- _whaaaat_?"

Gaara rolled his eyes and lifted his own cup, downing the contents in one gulp as Temari made a move to whack Kankurou. The trio were in the cafe, his siblings seated across him while they talked over breakfast. Temari had sounded a little surprise at his intention of resigning, but she had gladly accepted it and the fact that he would be helping them out over at Kaze Automobile soon. He'd meant what he said to Naruto the day before, and he was satisfied with his choice.

"I was just trying to express (At here, Kankurou moved his hands dramatically to emphasise his point) to our 'lil bro, that we are more than _happy_ that he's jumping ship. Welcome aboard man!!" The dark haired man laughed and gave Gaara his hand.

Temari jabbed at her cake with a fork and shot Gaara a _ignore the dumbass_ look. The redhead shoved a piece of cheesecake into Kankurou's opened mouth, ignoring his hand.

"Hey-hey!" Kankurou coughed.

"Nice one," Temari stated dryly as Gaara allowed a small smirk to grace his features. "How's Hinata?" She asked a little more quietly amid Kankurou's coughing, the rustle of the newspapers from a nearby table and the low buzz of people talking.

Gaara wiped his hands on a napkin.

"The nurse wouldn't allow me to see her yesterday because she was fresh out of the OT. I believe she should be awake by now." It egged the redhead to see Hinata when he carried the knowledge that she was conscious.

His sister nodded. "Could we visit her?"

"Come in the afternoon," Gaara replied, standing up. "You have a meeting later. And I need to talk to her."

* * *

"Thank you, Tenten," Hinata smiled as the lean and athletic brunette handed her a moist towel.

"Aw come on Hinata, its nothing." Tenten smiled brightly, chocolate eyes warm and liquid sweet as Neji studied both of them with a rather peculiar expression while he leaned against the window of her ward. The couple had decided to visit Hinata, with her being awake since 8.30 already. The anaesthetic had long worn off, although Hinata still felt rather sleepy.

Neji had been uptight from the moment he received news that his cousin was injured and shot, and he as a subtly caring and older cousin, had made his way down to the hospital yesterday when she was still asleep. The nurse had prevented him from entering like what she'd done with the other visitors, and only allowed them to enter today. He brought Tenten along, who told Hinata that she had spent a long time pacifying and soothing him.

He, Hinata thought warmly, was what her older brother would be like if she had one.

Neji had also brought news that Hyuuga Hiashi, who was on a business trip for the past few months would be returning soon to visit her. Hinata took this sedately, knowing that her father would understand that with Neji's presence, it was as good as he being there himself. The tall Hyuuga also reiterated what she had missed out on when she had been shot; from Deidara's bomb to Itachi's sailing, Lee's and Sasuke's impressive fight, and Naruto's cool, smooth behaviour when he handled his opponents.

She knew about Kiku as well, who was receving daily counselling from a psychologist after her uh, little interaction with the bomb and her abduction.

"The poor woman must have been traumatised." Tenten shook her head while Neji responded with a snort.

Kusugi Masato and his brother were recuperating with heavy security looming above them; no doubt that they would be charged very soon after interrogation from the police and Argon agents. It was still unclear if Ishikawa Izumo had been murdered by them.

Ino, who had caught her when she fell, had yet to make a trip to see her. Hinata was worried; did the blonde suffer heavy injuries?

"She didn't. She just slit her palm with Kusugi Masato's knife." Tenten assured. "Ino's fine."

Neji nodded. "Ino also remarked that you handled the entire thing well for an agent who is used to less heavy action assignments."

Hinata coloured a little.

"I didn't do much." She began softly. "I got in the way."

Tenten darted Neji a look and sat next to her.

"Hina," She said, resting a warm and coarse hand over the Hyuuga's small one. "How can you say that? You were trying to rescue Kiku. That's not 'getting in the way'."

Neji stepped forward a bit too.

"You actions are not neccessarily what you assume. To others, it would have been quite different because there was meaning behind it." He suggested quietly. Tenten stared up at him and smiled as Hinata allowed a shy smile to her cousin.

"Thank you, nii san."

"You're welcome." His white eyes lingered on hers for a moment, and Hinata had an urge to hug him. Neji moved back however as he studied her features.

"You...do you...feel any pain anywhere?"

Hinata paused. So far, she wasn't aware of her condition, but from the sore aching in her right hip, she knew that she had been operated there. There were numerous bruises and sores as well, some obviously _not_ from the confrontation between the agents and Kusugis. She currently experienced some sort of weird feeling in her left ear - as though a hand was permanently over it that prevented much noise from entering. The other ear was good, although she found her speech a little...unlike her and out of ordinary when she spoke.

"No," She answered truthfully. "Why, nii san?"

Tenten moved away a bit to look into her boyfriend's eyes. There was a questioning look in them. Neji stood over her, and he opened his mouth.

"Hinata," He began carefully. "The doctor said that your eardrum is perforated. Which, in other words, means that there is a hole. Quite a large hole."

"From when Michio slapped me?" Hinata asked softly.

His jaw tightened. "Yes." He said with some difficulty. "Perhaps you can't hear us very well with your left ear. So," He paused and forced himself to look at her. "There will be the chance that one day, you will entirely not be able to use your left-"

"-ear," She finished quietly.

"Yes." He said thickly.

Tenten's eyes widened.

"Hinata," She pulled her into an embrace, one that felt warm, comforting and reassuring.

The Hyuuga herself had sensed that something was not quite right when she had regained consciousness, and she knew that in some part of her mind, there was the possibility of her becoming deaf, although it wasn't as clear just now. Hinata wasn't stunned or afraid or anything - she accepted it, mainly because she knew that she still could use her right ear. There were people who were deaf in both ears; she was already very lucky.

Neither did she loathe nor despise Michio for what he had done, because it was a fact afterall, that he was the one who made her deaf, but she might as well devote her time to make full use of recuperating and learning to rely solely on one ear. She estimated that if she were to spend her days hating Kusugi Michio, it would amount up to the same effort of making her disability something she wasn't ashamed of.

Blinking, she noticed that Neji was staring at her with the same strange expression he wore, and Tenten had released her long ago.

"Neji nii san," She started, sending him a reassuring smile. "I'll live with it. What can I do besides that?"

Her cousin looked relieved, and she guessed that he thought she would have been crying and wailing like nobody's business after he broke the news.

"There's the choice of operation." Neji said. "But the risk is too great. I can't - I can't let you go in and- "

Neji seldom stumbled over his words, but he did it rather elegantly. Hinata was almost awed - Hyuuga Neji didn't stumble. Tenten, who seemed as though she had seen Neji stumble millions of times, smiled.

"He cares alot about you, Hinata." She said gently, ignoring Neji's penetrating eyes.

"I know," The Hyuuga smiled. "If the operation is too r-risky, I won't undergo it," She held out. "But Neji, what about _Argon_ then?"

"Tsunade decided that if you wanted to stop, she would have no objections at all. You could transfer over to Hyuuga Corp's department with Argon - no assignments at all. Just mainly meddling with our gadgets. You know them well."

"Oh," Hinata said. Well. That was nice. "If that is possible," She began.

"I'll settle it for you." Neji interrupted, showing just the slightest tinge of embarrassment a stoic 26 year old could show while Tenten beamed at her.

The door opened behind Neji, and Hinata's heart palpitated loudly. She sensed that the person who had just entered could hear it _perfectly_ well. The Hyuuga turned, and he nodded once at Gaara.

The redhead, clad in a white t-shirt and jeans, nodded back while Tenten stood up and tugged gently on Neji's sleeve, signalling him to leave with her. Neji obeyed after awhile, looking over at his cousin as though to seek permission. Hinata smiled at him.

Tenten and Neji left, leaving Gaara in the room alone with her. He looked as good as ever, those crystal jade eyes beautiful against the crimson of his hair. He stepped towards her.

Hinata knew from her dazed mind that he had been beside her nearly at once, and although the pain was excruciating, she had managed to catch the glimpse of fear in his eyes, making him look rather child like, like the photograph she had seen at his home. She remembered the feel of his hand entangled in her fingers, with her blood. And from Neji, she was told that he had been the one to gun down Kusugi Masato on the boat with Itachi.

The bed sagged under her weight and as she leaned towards him, Gaara pulled her into him, into his chest, his nose at her neck while she wound her arms around his neck.

"Gaara," She said, nuzzling his shoulder.

He gripped her tighter around the waist as she indulged in his scent, remembering the way he felt when he moved over her, the way his skin burned when he made her lean back and made love to her.

When the redhead released her, she stared into his eyes and tears found its way to her pale orbs as she struggled to form a sentence to speak - to say what however, she didn't know. But Gaara didn't gave her a chance to do that, for he had leaned forward, and she found him kissing her passionately, his tongue plunging deep into her mouth as he swept away all senses and coherent thoughts. Hinata's fist curled up into his shirt as he gripped her waist, twisting his head while the dark haired woman moaned a little. He was so warm and...and protective, her heart swelled with tenderness.

The redhead broke away, eyes glazed over.

"I am very angry with you."

Well. If that was what he was thinking, his actions certainly didn't prove it. Her hands still on either of his shoulder, she stared at him in confusion.

Then it dawned on her.

_Oh._

"I- I wasn't supposed to tell a-anyone...i-it was my a-assignment, Gaara. _Mine_."

"You didn't have to go_ solo_."

"It w-was fairly safe," Hinata protested. "I believed I could do it, Gaara, when you w-were- were _down_, I had to take the assignment up,"

"But you're a female. You _knew_ that there were 3 targets. How are you going to handle them if they_ -faceoff_ with you?" Gaara ran a hand through his hair, frustration in his eyes.

"T-tsunade promised m-me backup," Hinata blinked away her tears as she rubbed his shoulder.

"Anything can happen, Hinata. Even if you had a whole team of police officers like yesterday, you-" He looked down at her torso, at her clothed hip furiously. "You were shot. I _cannot_ let that happen. Do you know you gave me a fright when you were bleeding profusely on the ground and getting all bloody?" He growled, evidently trying to control himself.

"B-But I'm an agent Gaara," The Hyuuga reasoned.

"Not anymore." He cupped her cheek. "I know Tsunade has offered you another position. I'll be moving to Kaze Automobile soon too."

"K-Kaze?"

"Yes."

Hinata blinked. "Oh. Okay," She said softly. "If that's what you want, Gaara. I h-have something to tell you." She took a deep breath. "I- I'm going to _become_- I mean, my left ear's-"

"I know. That will not change anything." He interrupted her, gaze intent. The redhead kissed her mouth again softly. "When you rushed out yesterday and-"

"Its okay," Hinata said hurriedly. "Y-You don't need to say anything." She flushed, embarrassed.

Gaara pulled her finger away and kissed her hand, emerald eyes dark. "I need to tell you," He began slowly. "That I wouldn't have brought you home that night if I didn't feel that way about you." He dropped his hands and stroked her cheek. "I-" He paused. "I- I'm sorry Hinata."

Hinata smiled through her tears and she pulled him into an embrace again. She was touched. It didn't even matter whether he said it or not. "It's alright. And I'm sorry," She whispered. "I knew you were s-shocked at my words."

The redhead buried his face in her neck and allowed a smile to surface momentarily as he nosed his way through her dark tresses, his own crimson strands tickling her cheek.

There was a smooth creak, and the door swung open, signalling the doctor's entrance. Hinata pulled away, blushing fiercely while Gaara turned to see who had been the source of interruption.

"Ah, Hyuuga-san! How _are_ you feeling?"

A little short and pudgy, darkhaired Dr. Shigeo seemed oblivious to the couple's intimate moment for he was smiling widely at Hinata. Gaara stood up and nodded at him.

"You look fine..." He said, checking her pupils and glancing over at the heart monitor as he made some checks on his clipboard and flipped it.

"What about her ear?" The redhead asked.

The doctor's face turned serious.

"Hitting the ear with an open hand can cause a hole in the ear drum, which is exactly what has happened with Hyuuga-san. We did a check on her ear, and the hole is far bigger than what we had estimated. Surgery will no longer be a choice, because the success rate will be reduced if the hole if large. The best way is to get an aid. Hyuuga-san's left ear may deteoriate gradually, and an aid will certainly be very helpful."

Gaara took this passively, although Hinata saw his fists clench powerfully.

"She'll be in the hospital for at least two weeks, and we'll need to make an appointment about your aid to. Hyuuga san, you may feel that your speech is not what its used to be and your nose and throat may be affected slightly." Dr Shigeo ran his finger down his throat to emphasis the ENT connection.

Hinata nodded, fingers tightening in her blanket.

When the doctor finally left, the redhead's eyes slid to the Hyuuga as he sat next to her again. She watched him peacefully and smiled slightly as his jade eyes took her features in.

"You have to be saddled with someone who can't hear very well...are you disappointed?" She teased.

Gaara wrapped an arm around her waist. "You wish." He kissed her gently. "You don't need to work if you don't want to. We'll get by comfortably even without you working."

"I can't just l-laze at home, Gaara," She pushed her hair back away from her face earnestly. "It's not very...healthy. Besides," She added shyly. "What are you suggesting?"

"Nothing. Not _yet_." He retorted with a smirk. "And its healthy. You can put on some sexy lingerie when I get home. That's your main job."

Hinata's cheek went from pink to beetroot red in under 5 seconds flat.

"W-well," She toyed with the redhead's fingers. "I can still d-do that _after _I get home from work."

Gaara kneaded his forehead with one hand.

"Hime, if you feel uncomfortable during that time, you know what to do." He warned. "I'll pick you up _everyday_ anyway."

The Hyuuga smiled.

The redhead came to visit her almost everyday between his lunch and assignments. During the times when they were alone, they would often end up in situations that would have made Ino blush.

"I can't." He rasped when he pulled back away from her that afternoon, jade eyes laced with passion and desire while his crimson hair lay in an unruly mess, hands bracing himself as he hovered above Hinata's half undone blue dress, provided by the hospital for easier access to check her wound. It prove to be an advantage to Gaara too, who had so far accomplished with unbuttoning button no. 4.

But he wouldn't proceed with the rest, because turning up the heat on the hospital bed while Hinata was still aching and weak from the wound wasn't a very good thing. The Hyuuga didn't seemed to have any complaints about it though, judging from they way she breathed and stared up at Gaara with dazed eyes. He could see the rise and fall of her chest, one hand on her thigh underneath her dress while he cupped her neck with the other.

His gaze dropped heatedly to her chest and Hinata blushed as she leaned up to kiss him. Gaara brought her head closer and wrestled with her tongue as he became entirely frenzied with passion, hand moving further up her thigh while she pulled at his shirt frantically, resuming their activity again.

"Hinata," He groaned finally. "I can't do this to you when you're recovering." The redhead kissed her neck before he broke away firmly, buttoning up her dress with controlled senses while the dark haired woman sighed a bit as she smoothed his shirt after awhile.

The redhead dropped his head and nudged her a bit with his nose to kiss her mouth. "You can make it up to me when you get out though,"

Hinata blushed.

* * *

Hyuuga Hiashi came the very next day to visit his daughter, face rather passive. Hinata nearly choked on her juice a little as she hurriedly straightened her dress, pushing aside her meal.

"Father," She greeted when she saw him. It was no surprise that Hiashi would appear; after all, Neji _did_ say that her father was on his way back. Her relationship with her father was something akin to still waters, those which never really moved or interact much but held a silent and deep meaning which carried a father's subtle love and his daughter's knowledge of it.

"Hinata," He nodded as he approached her. Hiashi had never been good with words, and Hinata knew that very well. The older Hyuuga looked worn out and tired, although his white eyes were alert. Hiashi had obviously got down from the plane, because his clothes were creased, and it seemed as though he had sat in them for a very long time.

"I'm sorry you had to hurry back to see me, father." Hinata apologised, blushing as she sat up.

"The trip was almost finished." Hiashi said as he sat himself in a chair, white eyes directed at her. "How is your wound?"

"Its healing," Hinata answered. Hiashi nodded as he allowed silence to reign awkwardly for a few minutes.

"Father?" She asked softly. It had been such a long time since she last spoke to him. He had aged too. "I-I'm not an agent anymore. Tsunade transferred me to Hyuuga Corp's department in Argon."

Her father sighed. "I heard that from Neji. Your profession as an agent is not very suitable for a woman like you."

"I won't make you worry again, father," Hinata assured softly.

Hiashi nodded, his hands on his kneecaps, spine posture-perfect straight.

"Neji told me about your condition as well."

Hinata bowed her head.

"I am fine," She almost whispered.

The older Hyuuga watched her.

"That is good." He murmured quietly. "Hyuuga Corp could do with some help there too."

Hinata stared at her father, managing a small smile as he graced her with a rather rare one.

* * *

Thanks!


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:**I hope you guys will not be disappointed with this last chapter. XD Its quite short.

Ryllevna says she hopes there is a sequel. Well, I'm not very sure about that, because I have a _very _vague plot growing right now, a different AU fanfic for the GaaHina pairing. Its gonna be...different from this one. Age range for Gaara will be around 16-18. Hinata would be a year younger. But I'm not sure yet, so I won't publish it until I have got everything sorted out. Which will take a veryyyy verrryy loooong time. 8-) But I'll keep a sequel in mind.

To correct nuriiko, I don't have all the chapters before posting it. I'm not that super, hahaha!! I just write them after I finish the chapter before. Oh yeah, wouldn't it be cool if we could see Gaara's G5 come to life? I got the G5 name because Gaara's Godaime(Fifth) Kazekage in Naruto Shippuuden, and then you know, I made the connection and then...G5. :D

AND, something very important: Thank you so much for reading this, and I hope you thoroughly enjoyed this not-so-prepared-story-with-anticlimaxes. *Grins. **Most of all, thanks to those who reviewed and watch this story unfold. I appreciate it alot.** (Boy, I keep repeating myself, but really.) :D

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and characters are not mine.

* * *

**21.**

Two weeks since the day her father had visited her, Hinata had been discharged from the hospital much to her relief. Ino's frequent visits, along with Sakura, Sasuke, Itachi, Naruto, Kiba, Lee, Shikamaru, Temari (who had a very interesting conversation with Shikamaru about Kaze's mobiles), Kankurou _and _Tsunade, were not quite enough to make her forget what the interior of the ward looked like, where her bed was, which position the window was facing, what colour were her blankets....She was bored to tears.

Kiba had been hilarious, entertaining her with Ino's constant presence around him while Naruto forced Gaara, Sasuke and Itachi to 'have a re-enactment' of how they had caught a trio of terrorists at the airport, with Lee playing along enthusiatically. What happened was that Naruto had mistakenly shot a silver ball (part of a decoration) hanging from the ceiling above Sasuke's head, and it had burst into brilliant pieces of tiny diamonds, showering the young Uchiha with glitter. Sasuke as usual, had kept his cool and the group of five had managed to arrest the terrorists amidst Naruto's controlled laughter (which sounded as if it could explode into a raucuous laughter) and a few sniggerings from several police officers. With some help from Itachi, the Uchiha had managed to sweep glitter off himself although a significant amount littered his jet black hair as though he was a model fresh out of a photoshoot.

"You looked so...._glittery, _teme!" Naruto howled as Itachi swept his tongue over his upper lip and tried not to look as if he was laughing. Gaara didn't seemed to think that it was funny, and Sasuke appeared to be on his side as well. The Inuzuka was exploding with laughter, and Hinata, try as she might to keep a straight face so that Sasuke wouldn't feel well, hurt, couldn't succeed.

The major thing that happened was that Neji, Hiashi and _Gaara _had talk; about what the Hyuuga didn't quite know. She was further piqued when her cousin and Gaara entered together the next day, looking as though a mutual peace treaty had been signed between them.

The twin Kusugis were charged for murdering Ishikawa Izumo amongst other heavy misconducts; it also appeared that Kusugi Michio had betrayed his brother to save his own skin, denying that it was he who had killed Ishikawa. As far as she knew, it was turning out to be a very messy lawsuit.

The severity of Hinata's hearing meanwhile, leaned to border line mild. The Hyuuga however, couldn't make out soft sounds very clearly; only a certain level of loudness enabled her to hear. Naruto was rather handy here, and she could hear everything he uttered loud and clear. Dr. Shigeo had referred her to Dr. Miura, an ENT specialist who had assured Hinata that she was doing beautifully wiith her ear.

Today, five and a half months later, her redhead had made an effort to accompany her to the hospital where she would collect her hearing aid. It had gotten faulty mid way, plus her appointment with Dr Miura fell on the exact same day. Gaara held her hand as they rode the escalator and she stepped closer to him, squeezing his hand lightly.

Jade eyes shifted to her as they got off at the fourth level.

"What was that for?" He asked, lowering his head to hers.

"I like the way your h-hand feels." Hinata murmured.

Gaara gave her a smirk.

"I thought you liked my hair."

"I-I do," Hinata protested shyly after he repeated it. "I like both."

Dr. Miura, the one whom Hinata had been referred to, was rather optimistic regarding the Hyuuga's condition.

"Her hearing will not deteriorate, which means that it is quite possible Hinata's ear will heal."

The Hyuuga smiled.

"So her condition-" Gaara interrupted.

"-Isn't that serious. Its just that Hinata's hearing will be slightly affected. The perforation will heal. There's not much to be worried about. Just don't...get _hit_ again."

"_I'll_ take care of that."

The Hyuuga blushed wildly.

* * *

Hinata loaded a plate of noodles and a glass of water onto a tray, thanking the waiter in the process as she moved off carefully to where a redhead was seated.

_She slid another tray into her hands, this time holding a can of coke and nothing else. Table 19 was in the far left corner, beside the window. Hinata's white eyes landed on table 19, and she almost stopped breathing, her cheeks flushing. A good looking redhead was seated there, one hand toying with his cell phone while he watched her, his jade eyes skimming down her entire length. His hair was purely red, unlike Izumo's, its crimson so vivid and unlike anything she had ever seen. It was tousled thoroughly too, some of it falling into his eyes which he brushed it away impatiently. He was wearing a white shirt, untucked, its sleeves pushed up his arms and dark pants. The way he leaned forward betrayed what the white material hid - a muscled torso. A crimson tattoo graced the left corner on his forehead. Love, its kanji expressed._

_She finally reached his place, surprised to see no pretty blonde hanging on his arm. She smiled one of the same smiles she had given Izumo, and he watched her coolly as she set down the coke._

_"Anything else for you sir?"_

A knowing smirk made its way across Gaara's lips and he bit the inside of his cheek as he watched her approach.

Hinata shot him the exact same smile she had given him on that day, cheeks a lovely pink tinging it. Upon reaching him, she stopped and leaned her hip against the table as she slid the tray onto the table.

"Anything else for you sir?"

The redhead's hand landed onto hers.

"Yes."

Hinata blushed as Gaara stood up and towered over her, one hand shoved into his pocket.

"I'm eager to begin a lifetime of _partnership_with you. What do you say, Ms. Hyuuga Hinata?" Gaara moved forward, so that his lips were barely an inch away from hers, his tattoo brushing her forehead. His warm palm slid to her waist, guiding the Hyuuga to him.

"Really?" Hinata blushed feverishly as she tried not to smile.

"I never joke about serious matters."

"I -I can tell."

Gaara stared at her with his smouldering jade eyes as Hinata swallowed. "I got permission from your father. I doubt he'd be pleased if you didn't agree. You have no way out, Ms Hyuuga."

Hinata smiled through a layer of tears in her pearl orbs. "Well then, I have to agree since I am c-cornered, aren't I?"

The redhead kissed her as Hinata placed a small hand against his smooth cheek.

"That's for sure. " He murmured. "I will not take no for an answer."

* * *

_"You are.." She trailed._

_"Sabaku Gaara."_

_"Pleasure to meet you."_

_"Likewise." _

_End_


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